Goran Dragic Reportedly Traded to Spurs from Raptors for Thaddeus Young

The San Antonio Spurs have reportedly acquired guard Goran Dragic in a deal with the Toronto Raptors ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline, per Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN shared the full details of the deal:

Wojnarowski also reported the Spurs are expected to buy out Dragic, with the Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks interested in signing him once he's a free agent.

Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports said the Mavericks are the "favorites" to land Dragic after his buyout. However, Marc Stein cautioned that the buyout "may not be immediate" and that the Mavericks "will face real competition to land" Dragic.

Dragic has appeared in just five games for the Raptors this season, averaging 8.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game before stepping away because of a personal matter. He spent the past six-plus seasons with the Miami Heat, but he was sent to Toronto along with Precious Achiuwa in the sign-and-trade for Kyle Lowry.

After initially indicating Toronto was not his "preferred destination," Dragic apologized to fans for his comments.

"It didn't come out the right way," he told Michael Grange of Sportsnet. "I know they love their team, and they should be proud, it is one of the best organizations in the NBA. They've already won a championship and I didn't, so what I said, it really was not appropriate."

Dragic now gets to move on and look for a fresh start with a likely playoff contender.

The 35-year-old has been an impact player throughout his NBA career, both as a starter and off the bench. He earned an All-Star selection in 2017-18 en route to averaging a team-high 17.3 points and 4.8 assists per game, one year after matching a personal best with 20.3 points per game.

In 2019-20, the guard was a key part of the Heat run to the NBA Finals while averaging 19.1 points across 17 postseason games.

Injuries slowed down Dragic in 2020-21, but he finished with averages of 13.4 points and 4.4 assists while shooting 37.3 percent from three-point range.

The Slovenian will now look to rebound while trying to help whichever squad he ultimately lands with finish the season on a high note. The Spurs are in the worst shape of any of the aforementioned landing spots, sitting 13th in the West with a 20-35 record.

Dragic brings 14 years of experience to go with his on-court ability as a perimeter scorer and facilitator, providing a significant offensive boost to his new team. A big finish to the season would also help him individually ahead of free agency in the offseason.

Young, who averaged 6.1 points in 26 appearances for the Spurs this season, figures to take on a reserve role in the Toronto frontcourt.