Refusing to renew the contract! Oladipo s surgery failed! 80 million large contract turned into basic salary

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The article states that all the contents have reliable sources of information, and the details are detailed at the end of the article, former NBA player Oladipo, who renewed his contract for 4 years, reached US$113 million. No one could resist this huge income, but he refused. On June 3, he told the reason for his refusal that year on the podcast program "Above The Rim".

Rejected a four-year, $80 million contract

In the blog show, Oladipo said that if there were indeed $113 million, he would sign the contract extension without hesitation. The reason why he refused was that it was only $8,000 in four years. The price of

is also very optimistic in theory, but before Oladipo switched to Pacers, he got $84 million for four years, but after transferring to Pacers, the chips they gave at the beginning were $80 million.

He also made it clear that the contract was not signed at that time, but 3 years, and it only increased for a year later. This sounds a bit arrogant, but at the 2020 node, he does have the capital to say so.

After all, in 2018, he was an All-Star with 23 points per game. He fought with the Pacers and James' Cavaliers in seven games. After the tiebreak, he immediately sent a message to the trainer to ask when to start training?

In Oladipo's eyes, this is not a matter of money, but a denial of his professional value. Which star in his year of playing is willing to be reduced by someone on the grounds of "injury risk"?

The operation failed

How many fans remember that in the winter of 2019, Oladipo staggered while chasing Siakam, which made the entire stadium quiet. When the stretcher was lifted off the stadium, the air in the stadium on site seemed to solidify.

No one expected that Oladipo, who had flew to the sky and earth in the slam dunk competition, would say goodbye to the peak in this way, and later he told the secret that had been hidden for many years.

The operation failed that year, and the surgeon's mistake made his knee no longer return to the past. After his comeback, he seemed to have changed his body. He averaged 23 points per game, but he could only get 14.5 points after the operation.

Even the shooting percentage fell from 47% to 39%, and even the steals that he was best at were more than half. The Pacers shook their heads at the data, turned around and stuffed him into Harden's trade.

When he arrived at the Rockets, he thought he could prove himself again. The average 21 points per game seemed OK, but his hit rate was still stumble. At this time, the Rockets handed over a 2-year contract of 45 million.

Maybe he signed it if someone else was replaced, but he shook his head in his heart. He was still the All-Star who could get the maximum salary, but fate didn't give him much time to prove himself. He just arrived at the Heat and had not played a few games. When he dunked, he tore his right quadriceps and was directly reimbursed for the season.

Looking at his contract, it has shrunk from the Pacers' 80 million to the Heat's basic salary. Some people say he is stubborn, but if you put yourself in your shoes, how can you be willing to suddenly fall to the bottom when you once stood on the top of a mountain?

In February 2024, the news that the Grizzlies cut Oladipo did not cause any trouble. At the age of 32, he was sitting in the locker room. Will he remember himself five years ago when packing his luggage?

At that time, he was the Pacers' top card, and fans held the slogan of Audi's victory. Who would have thought that in just a few years, he had gone from starting to marginalized man and reached the crossroads of unemployment.

What makes people feel even more sad is the current situation of the Pacers. The bargaining chips he and Sabonis Jr., who exchanged for that year became the key to the team's rise. In 2025, the Pacers stood on the stage of the finals, but he couldn't even go back to the NBA arena.

Oladipo's story is like a reality show about choice. At his lowest point, fate did not give him too many chances to turn the tables. Injury became the biggest villain, crushing his dream little by little.

When we watched him turn from a core to a passerby, we couldn't help but sigh, but without this persistence, the world of sports might be less passionate and regretful. After all, who doesn't want to fight for their beliefs once?

In fact, the Pacers management calculated it very clearly. He had just experienced a serious knee injury. Who can guarantee that he could return to his peak state? Instead of betting on the future, it is better to lock in risks with a lower cost. Behind this game is the collision between the players' trust in themselves and the team's rational calculation of data. Oladipo bets that he can play back by himself, while the team bets that he may not be able to play back, but unfortunately this bet has laid hidden dangers from the beginning.

Oladipo's choice is not a precedent. As early as the NBA, there were always such gamblers who value professional dignity more than money, but are often beaten by reality.

Thomas Jr.'s experience

Speaking of this, we won't mention Thomas Jr., who averaged 28.9 points per game at the Celtics and scored in the final quarter, and the league was the best. He handed him a contract renewal, but he shook his head and said he wanted a maximum salary.

Later in the playoffs, he went out with injuries and injured his buttocks. His condition plummeted, and he fell from the altar of the strong to the abyss. That period was really a difficult trough for Thomas Jr.

These players have twisted their strength. They clearly played All-Star data and were scarred, but in the end they had to face discounted contracts. But they forgot that in the team's management calculator, what they calculated was never how strong you were before, but how much value you could be worth in the future..

Conclusion

If this is the backbone of a player and he is unwilling to bow to reality, but from another perspective, this is also a misjudgment of professional risks. In the NBA, there have always been a few players who can withstand major injuries and maintain their peak.

When you reject a contract in front of you, it is equivalent to actively jumping into a bet of using performance to exchange quotations, and injuries are the biggest obstacle in this bet.

Reference information

CCTV.com [2023-06-28] "Oladipo chose the option of executing players and refused to stay at the Heat for a high salary last year"

Beijing Youth Network [2023-04-25] "Oladipo underwent surgery this week and is expected to recover for six months"

Beijing Youth Network [2023-06-28] "Oladipo can average 19 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.5 steals per game in the last four games"

Jimu News [2023-07-01] "The Heat trades Oladipo to the Thunder, Ross reaches an oral agreement with the Grizzlies"