Victor Oladipo, one of the greatest defensive players in the last 20 years, is attempting to make an NBA return. He recently released an open letter to the league's general managers asking for a second chance. If anyone understands second chances, it's the Sacramento Kings, who should sign him.
So, let's get this out of the way right now. I haven't exactly been the biggest supporter of the Kings signing Oladipo. He is primarily a shooting guard, a position Sacramento is overloaded on. The logjam is already tight at SG, and adding Oladipo into that mess isn't going to make it better.
There's also the issue of Darius Acuff Jr. He needs at least one proper veteran point guard who can back him up as well as be his mentor. Oladipo has played point guard, but that's not his natural position. Acuff needs a legit PG, preferably Cam Payne and not Ben Simmons if at all possible.
The Kings have limited salary cap to work with right now. It's just enough for a pair of veteran minimum contracts, so the front office needs to be careful with who they sign. Oladipo doesn't really fill a need Sacramento has. Well, on paper at least. There's more to this situation than that.
Oladipo on the Kings makes sense from a couple of angles
When Doug Christie took over as the general manager for the Kings, his stated focus was defense. That's not a bad thing, as Sacramento has lacked a defensive identity for years. There were signs of growth last season, largely thanks to players like Precious Achiuwa and Dylan Cardwell.
If there's one thing that Oladipo knows, it's how to play defense. Even if he doesn't get a lot of minutes on the court for Sacramento, he could still help build the defensive profiles of young players like Acuff, Nique Clifford, Emanuel Sharp, and Alex Karaban. That could be incredibly important.
More than that, his passion for basketball seems stronger than ever. That open letter was joyful, painful, and intense to read. It was written by a man who just wants to be back in the game. The Kings need energy like that if this rebuild is going to be even a remote success. They need Oladipo.
While he might not be a veteran point guard, Oladipo remains a player who could bring something important to Sacramento. He knows what it's like for a dream to come true, only to lose it, and have to fight with everything you've got to get it back. That kind of leadership could change the Kings.
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