Goran Dragic, Heat Reportedly Have Mutual Interest in New Contract

Goran Dragic helped lead the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals, and both sides are reportedly interested in running things back in 2020-21.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, there is "mutual interest in a new deal" from both parties. Charania suggested there will be "several interested parties" in the 34-year-old and said Miami would likely try to sign him to a shorter deal so it can maintain flexibility as an organization.

Dragic, who has also played for the Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets, was excellent for Miami in 2019-20. He averaged 16.2 points, 5.1 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from three-point range.

There are concerns about his age and the fact that he is coming off a plantar fascia tear in the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, but the veteran has shown few signs of slowing down.

He has averaged double-figure scoring every season since 2011-12, including when he poured in 20.3 points per game in 2016-17 with Miami. His outside shooting has also remained consistent (36.3 percent for his career) and he is a playoff-tested presence who can create with the ball in his hands or playing on the wing.

It's no surprise the Heat are looking to bring him back after he averaged 19.1 points in the playoffs.

Dragic works well in pick-and-rolls with Bam Adebayo as someone who can finish at the rim or throw lobs to the cutting big man. He can also take advantage of space when defenses collapse on Jimmy Butler and could carry the offense for stretches when Butler was on the bench.

The NBA Finals may have turned out differently if Dragic and Adebayo did not suffer injuries, but it appears the defending Eastern Conference champions would like the guard to stick around for another run at a title.