Lakers Trade Rumors: L.A. Must Wait Until Summer to Make Push for Goran Dragic
The Los Angeles Lakers aren't in an ideal position to swing a trade at the moment and should wait to chase a reportedly coveted target in Phoenix Suns point guard Goran Dragic in free agency this summer.
ESPN.com's Marc Stein has reported that the Lakers and Houston Rockets are in hot pursuit of Dragic ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline. Stein's report featured a January quote from Dragic, who didn't rule out landing in Houston—or anywhere else for that matter.
"Oh, no. Nothing like that. Every team in the NBA is an option to me, because it is a privilege to play for any team in the NBA," Dragic said. "When the time comes, I'm going to sit down with my family and my agent and try to make the best decision for myself."
Those words all but guarantee that Dragic will exercise his player option and become an unrestricted free agent.
Phoenix has its own dilemmas to deal with when it comes to the Dragic situation.
Stein mentions that the Suns would rather trade Thomas than Dragic, but notes the potential pitfall to that strategy:
It'd be quite surprising to see him dealt away amid a tight Western Conference playoff race. Phoenix is currently 29-25 and eighth in the conference.
However, seeing the 28-year-old walk in the summer without any compensation would be a tough blow to absorb.
With experienced floor generals in Isaiah Thomas and Eric Bledsoe also on the roster as is, it's difficult to determine what the Suns will do from here. They have to figure out whether Dragic ultimately wants to be around for the long haul, but he may not know until he's explored all his options this summer.
Bleacher Report insider Howard Beck weighed in on Monday about his feelings on Dragic's future in the desert:
Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski provided an update that reflects Phoenix's apparent mindset, which is to let Dragic test the open market:
The latter report decreases the odds that the Suns will trade him, as it would make little sense to throw such a wrench in their chemistry by dealing away such a vital part of their recent success in Dragic.
Plus, the Lakers are reportedly open to offering Dragic a four-year deal worth up to approximately $80 million this summer as is, according to Stein.
Is Dragic really worth that type of a contract? Dragic is an All-Star-caliber player, but such a hefty payday implies he'd be tasked with changing the fortunes of the Lakers' historic franchise.
| 2013-14 | 6.5 | 27.4 | 56.1 | 60.4 | 24.6 | 13.4 |
| 2014-15 | 2.2 | 18.8 | 54.9 | 57.3 | 21.4 | 10.6 |
The added presence of both Thomas and Bledsoe in 2014-15 has dropped Dragic's usage and seen him work more off the ball. Many of his key numbers have taken a hit as a result, and on top of that, it makes evaluating how he'll project in the next phase of his NBA career more of a challenge.
More basketball needs to be played before Dragic's true value can be determined.
How he performs down the stretch of the regular season—and in the playoffs, if the Suns qualify—ought to go a long way in deciding his bottom-line worth.
The gamble is too great for the Lakers to take a swipe at Dragic now through a trade. Dragic could easily leave L.A. by opting out, and the Lakers wouldn't gain much by employing him now amid a terrible season when it actually behooves them to lose games for draft position purposes.
It'd be better for the 13-40 Lakers to let an uncertain franchise cornerstone in Dragic be shipped off, if that winds up being the case, than to sacrifice any assets. L.A. needs all the future help it can hold on to, and it may not be able to retain Dragic for more than 29 games.
Until Kobe Bryant's future is determined, 2014 seventh overall pick Julius Randle returns to health and the Lakers have a better idea of where they'll draft, they can't make much of a convincing pitch to Dragic under their current circumstances.
The May 19 draft lottery is the watershed moment that will help L.A. shape its pitches to marquee free agents this summer.
With Spotrac indicating that the team will boast ample salary-cap room, general manager Mitch Kupchak and Co. should be big open-market players. That is the time to pounce on Dragic.
Having extra time to evaluate how Dragic performs in extremely meaningful games can only benefit the Lakers before they make such a big, prospective investment.
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