Victor Oladipo #4 of the Miami Heat shoots the ball against Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics during the first quarter in Game Five of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals at FTX Arena on May 25, 2022 in Miami, Florida. Eric Espada/Getty Images/AFP
MIAMI—The Miami Heat traded Victor Oladipo back to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night in exchange for future draft compensation, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.
The move will create a $9.45 million trade exception for the Heat, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade has not been finalized by the NBA. It also provides some financial flexibility for Miami, which is well over the tax threshold for the coming season.
Oladipo exercised his option on Tuesday to be under contract for the coming season, though it is unclear when he’ll next be able to play. He tore his left patellar tendon during the first round of the playoffs against Milwaukee in April.
The 31-year-old guard underwent his third major surgery in the last four years — the other two were on his right knee area — and there is no timetable for his return.
Oladipo was a two-time All-Star with Indiana before getting hurt in January 2019. Indiana traded him to Houston in January 2021. The Rockets traded him to Miami two months later; he played four games in March 2021 with the Heat before getting hurt again.
Oladipo averaged 15.9 points with the Thunder in the 2016-17 season. He spent his first three years in Orlando, then had a year in Oklahoma City before moving on to Indiana.