Goran Dragic Trade Just What Houston Rockets Need to Reach the Next Level

For once, the Houston Rockets offense needs a pick-me-up. Fortunately, there's a readily available cure-all that can remedy the team's sudden drop into mundane territory. 

Say hello to Goran Dragic, the point guard of Houston's title dreams. 

According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, the Rockets have emerged as serious suitors for the Phoenix Suns floor general:

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Sources said that the Rockets, who let Dragic go in free agency in the summer of 2012 but have him high on their list of free-agent targets this summer, are prominent among the teams hoping to engage the Suns in serious discussions about Dragic before the league's annual trade buzzer next week.

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Interest is nice on the surface, but it doesn't ensure that talks will gain steam. There needs to be mutual urgency for a deal to get done, since negotiations are intricate, multidimensional proceedings. 

And much to Houston's delight, Phoenix is starting to entertain trade overtures, according to Bleacher Report's Howard Beck:

Even if the price of acquiring Dragic is a first-round pick, as the Racine Journal Times' Gery Woelfel reports it will be, Houston should be ready to pay up. 

While the Rockets owe the Los Angeles Lakers their 2015 first-round pick, they have a selection from the New Orleans Pelicans that's protected for picks one through three and 20 through 30. With the Pelicans teetering on the edge of playoff contention, it would be a huge upset if that pick isn't credited to Houston this summer. 

That's the sort of low-cost asset that should appeal to Phoenix, since Dragic can decline his player option and become an unrestricted free agent this summer. 

But what exactly makes Dragic the object of Houston's desire?

For starters, he's played in Kevin McHale's uptempo, rapid-fire offense before. During the lockout-shortened 2011-12 campaign, Dragic appeared in all 66 games, averaging 11.7 points, 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals.

Although it was his only full season with the Rockets, he shot a career-high 71 percent inside of three feet and became renowned as an off-the-dribble artist who consistently weaved through defenders and into the restricted area.  

Stylistically, the fit is also beautiful. 

The Suns already play at the league's second-fastest pace, generating 99.19 possessions per 48 minutes, according to NBA.com. Since the Rockets sit one spot lower with a pace rating of 98.66, Dragic's learning curve upon arriving in H-Town would be gentle. 

And sure, playing fast is one thing. Adapting to Houston's three-point-happy scheme consumed by efficient practices is another entirely.

It just so happens that Dragic's shot selection this season lends itself to compliance with the Rockets' overarching offensive philosophy.

According to Basketball-Reference.com, a career-low 9.6 percent of his shots have come from mid-range this season. As a result, a career-high 40.5 percent of Dragic's total looks are coming inside of three feet—a 5.6 percent jump from last season.  

Lingering concerns about Dragic's ability to operate as a primary ball-handler in an offense that revolves around James Harden's every move shouldn't give the Rockets pause either. 

Bleacher Report's Dan Favale explains: 

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Pulling the trigger on this is a no-brainer for the Rockets. Dragic is the league's only player topping 16 points, three rebounds, four assists and one steal on 50 percent shooting per game, and he has experience playing beside a ball-dominant backcourt partner—evident by his 37.3 percent success rate on spot-up threes.

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Granted, Dragic has expressed frustration about playing off the ball, according to The Arizona Republic's Paul Coro, but perhaps his designation as Houston's undisputed No. 1 point guard could help smooth things over.

In fact, the Slovenian has cited a decrease in touches due to the Suns' point guard logjam as a contributing factor to his recent discomfort, per Coro:

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We're not getting that freedom that we used to have on offense. The good thing is that we've still got one more game (before the All-Star break). Hopefully, we're going to win that and then we get one week off, hopefully to clear our heads a little bit.

Everything is about the rhythm. If you don't get the ball so many times in that spot that you like, it's really tough to get going. That's the main thing for me now.

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The good news is Dragic could get back into a groove working in a Rockets offense that encourages aggressive shot-taking procedures. 

And it's not like there's a two-headed monster a la Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas threatening to mitigate his impact. 

Patrick Beverley is a tremendous defensive presence, to be sure. He's just not a shot creator the way Dragic is. Jason Terry isn't helping much in that regard either, although he is drilling 40.7 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes, according to NBA.com. 

Even so, Houston's production at the point ranks among the league's worst. According to HoopsStats.com, Rockets point guards rank 26th in scoring and 25th in field-goal percentage.   

Player	Points Per Game	Assists Per Game	FG%	3P%
Patrick Beverley	10.7	3.3	38.6	36.5
Jason Terry	7.0	2.0	41.8	39.0
Isaiah Canaan	6.2	1.2	40.5	38.1

The Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers are the only Western Conference teams in similarly futile territory when it comes to supposed offensive initiators. 

For a club that ranks 13th in offensive rating a year after grading out as the league's fourth most efficient unit, mediocrity can't be accepted as the status quo. 

The Rockets need one more dynamic weapon to bolt up the league's title-contending pecking order, and Dragic is the most logical solution general manager Daryl Morey is going to be presented with in advance of the Feb. 19 trade deadline.

As the acquisitions of Josh Smith and Corey Brewer intimated, the Rockets are going all-in. The Western Conference power structure has never been this fluid, and there's a real opportunity to strike while the iron is hot. 

At the price of a mid-first-round pick that won't be of significant value to a core ripe for title contention, Houston has every reason to push its remaining chips to the middle of the table and take a chance on Dragic while capitalizing on Phoenix's desperation.  

All statistics current as of Feb. 16 and courtesy of NBA.com unless noted otherwise. Draft pick information retrieved from RealGM.com.