Which Rumored Team Is Top Fit for Goran Dragic Entering 2015 NBA Trade Deadline?
The Goran Dragic era in the desert is about to be over.
As first reported by USA Today's Sam Amick, "Goran Dragic wants out of Phoenix. According to two people with knowledge of the situation, the representatives for the Phoenix Suns point guard told team officials in a Tuesday meeting that he has no plans to re-sign in Phoenix this summer as a free agent."
But that's not all.
RealGM's Shams Charania reports that the Suns are now on board with unloading him before the deadline, and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports already has a list of the talented combo guard's preferred destinations:
"After informing the Phoenix Suns that Goran Dragic won't re-sign an extension this summer, agent Bill Duffy delivered the Phoenix Suns a list of preferred trade destinations that includes the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Miami Heat, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
The Indiana Pacers have maintained a consistent interest with Dragic, and their need for a point guard – and ability to be a contender with the return of Paul George – makes them a destination Dragic could possibly OK, league sources said.
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Three of the clubs Dragic reportedly prefers—the Lakers, Heat and Knicks—won't be contenders in the near future, which means the combo guard would be willing to land in a big market with possible title success at least a couple years away. Assuming he'd sign a new deal this summer with the preferred squad he's traded to, each of those three teams—we won't include the Pacers, who appear to be more "possible" than "preferred"—offers something different for Dragic's future.
And they're not all equivalent.
3. Miami Heat
On the surface, it might appear as though the Miami Heat would have a strong four-man core for the future, assuming they don't trade Luol Deng in a deal for Dragic. But if the injury-riddled team has already struggled to remain in the postseason picture despite the weakness of the Eastern Conference morass, where's the guarantee of title contention down the road?
Miami has been thoroughly mediocre this season, and that may actually be a bit generous. Heading into the All-Star break, the Heat ranked No. 23 in offensive rating, per Basketball-Reference.com, and they were even worse on the defensive end of the floor. Over the span of 100 possessions, they're being outscored by 4.3 points. That's not a recipe for a run at the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Sure, Dragic would make the team better, but the Heat are locked into their current route—one that appears to be rather ill-fated. Because the team signed Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to max deals (near-max for Wade) instead of going for a full-scale rebuild upon the departure of a certain four-time MVP and two-time champion, the upside is extremely limited.
The Phoenix combo guard will turn 29 years old before the 2015 champion is decided. Deng will move into his 30s, while Wade and Bosh will be 33 and 31, respectively, at the start of the 2015-16 campaign. And given the status of Wade's joints and the massive amounts of wear and tear on his body, he'll be a rather old 33.
That's an elderly core, and it will also be a highly paid one.
Already, the three established big-name starters are on the books for over $48 million next year, per ShamSports.com, and the organization lacks the financial measures to build a rock-solid supporting cast if it adds Dragic to the long-term picture.
There may be relief coming two offseasons from now, but then Dragic runs the risk of being locked into a contract while surrounded by an aging Bosh, a decrepit Wade and virtually nothing else of note. It's a move that simply doesn't make sense.
2. New York Knicks
It's easy to see the appeal of the New York Knicks, even if they're among the Association's worst teams right now. At this point, it should go without saying that Dragic isn't interested in winning this season, but is instead making a play for the future.
And while nothing is guaranteed in Madison Square Garden, the Knicks at least have significant hopes of a turnaround.
Carmelo Anthony will still be on the roster, hopefully healed from the knee maladies that have plagued him throughout this season. Other than the aging superstar and Jose Calderon (who Phil Jackson should still be trying to unload and very well could in a deal with Phoenix), the only other contracts on the books beyond this current campaign belong to Pablo Prigioni and a bunch of young players on cheap rookie deals.
Unlike the Heat, the Knicks have money to spend, and lots of it.
Once the cap rises as a result of the television deal signed this past offseason, they'll have money to sign multiple star players. Dragic won't be the only major acquisition if Jackson has his way, as he'll try to lure other marquee players to the bright lights and mega endorsement deals provided by the Big Apple.
Is this plan likely to work? Honestly, no one has any idea right now, and that probably includes those who work within the confines of the New York organization. But the hope and possibility trumps the near-guaranteed mediocrity of Miami, strange as that may be to say about a team with two future Hall of Famers in their early 30s.
The biggest issue for New York is actually the system.
"The triangle offense is not one that needs a strong, traditional point guard," Kurt Helin wrote for ProBasketballTalk after Dragic explained he'd think about going to New York in free agency. "Think Derek Fisher, think Ron Harper. The Knicks have Jose Calderon—9.3 points a game and a PER of 13, below the league average—for two more seasons after this one."
Theoretically, the triangle offense would limit what a crafty, ball-dominant guard like Dragic can do. But at the same time, we have no clue what such a reliable shot-creating point guard would look like in the system, as it hasn't been used by too many teams and has never featured such a player.
As a result, the Knicks are full of intrigue, though there are some serious pitfalls to navigate. Also, there's no guarantee they can even figure out how to make a deal with the Suns, as the Knicks have virtually nothing left to offer.
1. Los Angeles Lakers
If you build it, they will come.
Landing Dragic this season and squeezing a long-term commitment out of him would be akin to building it. The Lakers wouldn't be asking big-name players to sign with a rebuilding organization that has an aging, post-rotator-cuff-surgery Kobe Bryant, a post-broken-leg Julius Randle and virtually nothing else. Instead, Los Angeles would appeal to free agents with the allure of playing with a star player—Dragic—in his prime.
Obviously, that's a big difference.
The Lakers also have everything that the Knicks are offering.
They have plenty of cap space with which they can lure more marquee contributors. They have the aging star, except their version only has one more year remaining on his exorbitant deal and isn't nearly as productive right now. They offer the big stage, as well as the endorsement opportunities.
But they don't figure to fit Dragic into a triangle offense, which is a process in no way guaranteed to succeed. Instead, they would build around him, tailoring the system to maximize his talents and the Lakers' chances of winning with him as a central figure. Plus, Dragic doesn't care which conference he plays in, as he told Frank Isola of the New York Daily News in late December:
"Yes and no. For me, the last time I was in the playoffs was with Amar'e (Stoudemire) back in Phoenix in 2010. Every player wants to play on a playoff team. I want to be on a good team, of course. But for me, it doesn't make any difference if I'm in the West or in the East. I think for every team that you play in the NBA, it's a privilege.
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And while conferences don't matter, history might. The Lakers have plenty more historical appeal, as well as a way to get him on the roster right away.
It's not the most appealing offer, but something along the lines of a first-round pick (via the Houston Rockets), Jeremy Lin and Ed Davis could get the job done, even if Lin and Davis don't exactly have All-Star upside.
As Wojnarowski reports, "The Suns could remain defiant of doing deals with those chosen teams, trade Dragic elsewhere and dare him to take less guaranteed years and money to join the Lakers, Knicks or Heat. If Dragic isn't traded, he could sign a maximum free-agent deal for four years, $80 million with New York or Los Angeles."
But if Phoenix is amenable to the malcontent guard's wishes, it's pretty obvious what his No. 1 choice should be. The Heat are a non-starter, and the Knicks have far more issues to navigate than the Lakers.
If he's determined to play on a rebuilding organization that offers a huge stage, Dragic better start investing in some purple and gold casual wear.
