Orlando Magic have their bittersweet reunion with Victor Oladipo

Victor Oladipo returns to the Amway Center for the first time since this summer’s trade facing a team in transition and reflecting on his lessons in Orlando.

In the moments they were together, Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton dreamed of big things for the Orlando Magic. Drafted a year apart, they were part of the foundation for the team’s rebuild. They both knew there would be growing pains and learning experiences ahead, but they had every reason to believe in their own and each other’s potential.

With every Oladipo scoring outburst and defensive stop and every Elfrid Payton triple double, they were building the team up from the ground up. It was to be their project, built on their backs, talent and growth.

The team had its fits and starts. The Magic could not create much space with two attack-first guards with limited shooting. The team peaked with a 19-13 start to the 2016 season but settled into a 35-47 record, a 10-win improvement but still a disappointment with the way things started.

The Magic were moving on. And it all culminated with the team breaking up that seeming core backcourt. The team moved on, but some of the hopes and dreams remained.

"“Me and EP used to talk about it all the time,” Oladipo told Orlando Magic Daily after shootaround before Wednesday’s game. “Especially being the stating backcourt here. It was a goal of ours. We worked on it every day. Unfortunately, it did not turn out the way it needed to be. Some things are out of your control. I’m making the most of my time here.”"

Wednesday’s game will indeed be Oladipo’s first trip back to the Amway Center since the surprising Draft-night trade that sent him to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Serge Ibaka. He will be back in his familiar haunts where he spent the first three years of his career.

There will surely be tributes and a nice ovation for Oladipo when he is introduced as the starter for the Thunder during pregame introductions. But, like with everything else in this lagging rebuild, everyone will ask what if.

When the Magic traded Oladipo it was genuinely a shock. Magic coach Frank Vogel said Oladipo and his relationship with him from their days working in Indiana was a big reason he took the job. Oladipo was still a potential budding star, capable of big scoring outbursts and taking over games offensively.

In his final season in Orlando, he averaged 16.0 points per game, shooting a then-career-best 48.9 percent effective field goal percentage. He has kept up that scoring production in Oklahoma City, adding efficiency to the equation thanks to his improvement and the space Russell Westbrook creates for teammates.

It is hard to say whether Oladipo still had the potential to become more. But it was also clear to say he was critical to the team as a primary scorer and offensive generator.

"“He was always somebody who played hard,” Payton told Orlando Magic Daily. “Got me going. He got everybody going. He inspired everybody with his play.”"

Even with the Magic’s desire to keep him in Orlando and Vogel’s attraction to the job because of him, the team made a dispassionate decision. They made the decision to go in a different direction, stunning everyone. A player who seemed such a core part to the organization was suddenly gone.

For Oladipo, the change has been good. His scoring is up slightly and he is involved in the Playoffs for the first time in his career. He has settled in nicely as Westbrook’s sidekick, taking over with the second unit.

Every closed door becomes a new door for opportunity. And Oladipo is taking advantage of his, even if there was a difficult goodbye to the first stage of his career.

"“Sometimes change is good,” Oladipo said. “I wouldn’t say I was in tears disappointed because I knew I was going to a great opportunity and a great situation for myself. It ended up being good for me. At the end of the day, I’m happy with where I’m at. I have great opportunities and a great situation here. I’m making the most of it.”"

Oladipo has been back in the building before. He was at the Orlando Summer League a few weeks after the trade, getting comfortable with his new organization and new teammates from a familiar place.

But he will always take Orlando and the things he learned with him.

The experiments the Magic ran in having him play a point guard for a year and the way the team threw him onto the court immediately helped him become the player he is today. It may not have been everything the Magic wanted or needed, but it was more than enough to endear him to fans and make him a quality NBA starter.

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He was also a presence in the community. As last year’s DeVos Community Enrichment Award, Oladipo gave himself to the community and ingratiated himself in Orlando. It is why he remains so popular and the trade cut so deep.

And even with that new opportunity, Orlando stayed with Oladipo some.

"“It was a huge impact,” Oladipo said of Orlando. “One big thing I said here is I have duty and an obligation to give back to those who are less fortunate. I feel like it was big for me to go off the court and give back tot eh community. To be honest, it was kind of cool to come back and see those people.”"

The Magic will take on the Thunder on Wednesday night at the Amway Center. There will be a more special meet and greet between opponents before the game. But once the ball goes up, it will be business as usual.

Maybe not as usual. Competing against a friend always adds a little bit of juice and excitement. Former teammates and Oladipo himself were looking forward to the matchup.

Next: Orlando Magic officially eliminated from Playoffs

"“I think it will be fun,” Payton told Orlando Magic Daily. “I think he will be happy to be back. He has a big fan base here. A lot of people coming to the game that will be happy to see him play. I hope they do well, but I hope we get the win.”"

A bittersweet reunion with Victor Oladipo for Orlando Magic

By Philip Rossman-Reich | Mar 29, 2017

Victor Oladipo returns to the Amway Center for the first time since this summer’s trade facing a team in transition and reflecting on his lessons in Orlando.

More from Orlando Magic Daily