Bulls News: Goran Dragić Waived Ahead of March 1 Playoff Eligibility Deadline
Goran Dragić's time with the Chicago Bulls is over before he completed a full season with the team.
The Bulls announced Tuesday they waived the guard ahead of the March 1 playoff eligibility deadline, which means he will still be eligible to suit up in the postseason for another team if he signs elsewhere.
ESPN's Bobby Marks explained the financial implications of such a move:
Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune said Chicago's decision to move on from Dragić "shouldn't come as a huge surprise given the necessary shift of minutes after Patrick Beverley was signed. Dragić has not played since before the All-Star break and didn't travel with the team to Toronto."
The 36-year-old is a proven veteran who has played for the Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets and Bulls with a resume that includes a third-team All-NBA selection and the Most Improved Player award in 2013-14 from his time on the Suns.
He was also a 2017-18 All-Star on the Heat.
Yet Dragić is not the same player at this point of his career and averaged 6.4 points, 2.7 assists and 1.4 rebounds while shooting 35.2 percent from deep in 51 games for the Bulls.
He was a key piece off the bench in the early portion of the season, but his play tailed off as he shot just 20 percent from three-point range and averaged 2.3 points in seven February appearances.
Contenders surely know they won't be getting the All-Star version of Dragić if they do take a flier on him, but he could still be a solid depth addition in a secondary role considering he has appeared in 60 playoff games and can hit from the outside.
More consistent shooting than Dragić showed toward the end of his time on the Bulls will be important if he is going to carve out a role on a new team.
