Goran Dragic Bought Out by Spurs, Warriors Among Candidates to Sign
Toronto Raptors guard Goran Dragic, who was a key piece to the Miami Heat’s 2020 Finals run (although he was absent with injury for the Finals itself) was traded at the deadline last week to the San Antonio Spurs. It’s been widely known that Dragic wants to play for a contender, which San Antonio is not, but it looks like they were willing to take on the salary as they’re in a full rebuild, whereas Toronto is pushing for a playoff spot.
Dragic has been linked to a few teams for awhile now, mostly the Heat (his former team) and the Dallas Mavericks (where his good friend Luka Doncic plays). Miami has a lot of depth already at the guard position, but a little more could never hurt, especially if that “little more” has playmaking capability. The Mavericks, on the other hand, just traded Kristaps Porzingis for Davis Bertans and Spencer Dinwiddie. Dinwiddie is a backup, score-first guard who can also create for others. So with the two top options probably not having a ton of room in the rotation, where does he go?
ESPN senior writer Adrian Wojnarowski, over the weekend, reported in an article that the Warriors and Lakers joined the list of possible teams which could acquire Dragic. A career performer, he was at one point an All-NBA player and averaged 19 points per game in the Heat’s 2020 run, even at 33 years old. He could certainly help any contender, and despite the Dubs having a heavy guard rotation, he brings more experience to the locker room.
And, of course, he’s a vet who can get his own shot.
That was his primary role in Miami, and he’d immediately turn into the third point guard deep in the rotation behind Steph Curry and Jordan Poole. He’d provide floor spacing, passing, and self-created scoring at a serviceable clip, on top of being a locker room presence to help the young guys learn how to win.
As rotations shorten, the Warriors may need to evaluate their lineup a little harder, specifically who’s on it. A player like Damion Lee or Juan Toscano-Anderson, who are both solid players, have their limits. They just don’t do enough to warrant being a part of the playoff rotation outside of niche matchups. Goran Dragic, however, does. The biggest complaint amongst fans has been that the team needs a center, but up until a recent stretch (where the team historically isn’t always at the peak of their powers), they were the #3 rebounding team in the league and still are the #1 defense despite Steve Kerr rightfully critiquing their efforts on that end. The one thing lacking that seems to be the gap? Buckets when Steph Curry is not on the floor. Again, Dragic fixes that.
He may not fit with the timeline, but if the Warriors open up a roster spot, he should be (and probably will be, if other reports are indication) the first call Myers and company make. He has a spot on the floor, especially in a small-ball brand of basketball. He wouldn’t need heavy rotation minutes now in the interest of being fresh for the playoffs. He probably won’t be a difference-maker of that degree, but he’s definitely worth the shot on presence and ability, no matter his age, to fit into a team-first role.
(Photo credit: Jacob Kupferman / Getty Images)