Victor Oladipo is still chasing an NBA return, and there’s a clean blueprint for what that can look like: Dante Exum.
Oladipo last appeared in an NBA game in 2023, with a ruptured patellar tendon derailing what had become a rotation role with the Miami Heat. He has kept working toward another shot, but that opportunity hasn’t arrived yet. Still, Exum’s path shows how long the road back can be - and that it’s not impossible.
Exum spent years fighting through injuries that seemed to bury his career. Once viewed as one of the worst Jazz lottery picks ever, he was out of the league for a stretch and appeared to be starting over from nothing.
Then, two years after his brief run in Cleveland ended, Dallas gave him another chance. Exum made the most of it, turning into a rotation piece for a Mavericks team that made a surprise run to the NBA Finals. Even though Dallas fell short, Exum proved he could still help a contender before injuries hit again.
That kind of second act is exactly what Oladipo is hoping for now.
And there’s a reason the idea resonates beyond the usual comeback-story appeal. Oladipo’s career has already had one major reinvention.
He was the No. 2 overall pick in 2013, but it took until his fifth season - and his third team - for him to become a true star. After underwhelming stops in Orlando and Oklahoma City, he found his footing with the Pacers and emerged as the face of the franchise in 2018.
That arc should sound familiar to Jazz fans. The source of that comparison is Lauri Markkanen, another former lottery pick who didn’t fully take off right away before blossoming into something much bigger later in his career. That shared late-bloomer story is part of why Oladipo’s path back feels so easy to pull for.
No one knows whether his next NBA chance will come, or where it would land if it does. But whether he ends up playing for the Jazz or against them, Oladipo’s story is one of those rare ones that feels too compelling to end here.
In Other News...
Mo Bamba May Be Utahs Quiet Winner From The Cody Williams Trade
The Jazzs move to send Cody Williams and John Konchar to Minnesota for Josh Green did more than shuffle the wing rotation. It also opened up a roster spot, and for a team still sorting out the edges of its bench, that matters. One of the quiet beneficiaries is Mo Bamba, who came in on a two-year partially guaranteed deal and now looks better positioned to stick through the start of the season.
Bambas contract gives Utah a little flexibility, but it also creates a clear line of incentives. He would receive a $500,000 payment if he is on the roster for opening night, and the full $3.5 million salary kicks in if he lasts through January 10. For now, the roster math is moving in his favor, and in a transaction that was mostly framed around Greens arrival, Bamba may have been the unlikely name helped most by the deal. [Read more 🡒]