Announced! Oladipo joins the Guangzhou team! This is an NBA All-Star guard.

The Guangzhou team announced their roster of foreign players for the NBA preseason as follows:

Recognizable faces, familiar names.

Oladipo will suit up for Guangzhou in the NBA preseason, competing against the Spurs (October 7), Clippers (October 10), and Timberwolves (October 14).

However, at present, it seems Oladipo will only take part in the NBA preseason for Guangzhou. Whether he will play in the new CBA season is still unknown. After all, if he performs well in the preseason, he might have a chance to return to the NBA, with Guangzhou serving as a platform for him to showcase his skills.

Oladipo was born on May 4, 1992, making him 33 years old this year. He was the 2nd overall pick in the draft and has played for the Magic, Thunder, Pacers, Rockets, and Heat during his NBA career. His regular-season averages are 16.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.6 steals per game, with shooting percentages of 43.6% from the field, 34.7% from three, and 78.8% from the free-throw line; in the playoffs, he averages 14.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.6 steals, with shooting splits of 39.1%, 33%, and 79%.

So far, Oladipo's NBA accolades include winning the Most Improved Player award once (2017-18), being selected to the All-NBA Third Team once (2017-18), leading the league in steals once (2017-18), and earning two All-Star selections (2017-18 and 2018-19), among others.

Yes, this guy was once an NBA All-Star, especially during the 2017-18 season with the Pacers, where he averaged 23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.4 steals per game in the regular season, and contributed 22.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2.4 steals in the playoffs — one of the few guards proficient on both ends of the court.

Unfortunately, fate was unkind. At the peak of his career, Oladipo suffered frequent injuries that caused his decline and led to a journeyman status. In early 2019, he tore his right knee tendon, ending his season with the Pacers; in May 2021, he underwent surgery on his right quadriceps, missing the season with the Heat; and in April 2023, he tore his left patellar tendon (Heat)... These repeated serious injuries gradually made him less sought after.

Actually, Oladipo still has plenty of fuel left in his tank. But due to his age and serious past injuries, no NBA team has considered signing him, not even offering a veteran minimum deal to test the waters. He also has no intention of playing overseas and hasn’t played a proper game in over two years. His last appearance was on April 10, 2023, in the Heat vs. Magic game.

If nothing else works out, Oladipo might as well finish the NBA preseason with Guangzhou and then join them for the CBA season, where he can better showcase his talents.

The only concern is the cost; they might not be able to afford him.

Statistics show that Oladipo has earned a total of $125 million in NBA salary so far.

As for the local players Guangzhou will field in the NBA preseason, they are as follows:

Chen Guohao, Zhang Huafei, Zhang Wenjie, Pang Yanjun;

Li Xiangbo, Liu Yancheng, Guan Ziyu, Li Xiaotong.

Guo Ailun and Xu Xin will both miss the NBA preseason; one is likely still recovering from an eye injury, and the other is preparing for the National Games with the Guangdong team.

In the 24-25 regular season, Guangzhou finished with 12 wins and 34 losses, ranking 15th in the league and missing the playoffs. However, this does not stop them from being the most internationally engaged team in the CBA today, providing young talents with opportunities to challenge the highest level of basketball worldwide, which will help them attract more talent in the future.