When Goran Dragic re-signed with the Miami Heat, he thought he was joining a borderline Eastern Conference powerhouse—a team that would contend for at title, or at least feign contention until its next free-agency coupe. Instead, though, he finds himself on a rebuilding squad, at the age of 30, with no Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh in sight.
And you know what? He’s cool with that—for now, anyway.
From David Aldridge of NBA.com:
“You know, I look at it this way,” guard Goran Dragic said. “I did not have control over that. I cannot have it. So the only thing I can control is on myself, to be prepared for this season. Of course, the offseason went the way it went. But I’m happy with my teammates. I think we had a great training camp. Some changes, but we’re a young team that wants to prove to the league that we can play basketball.”
True. But Dragic did not come from the Phoenix Suns two years ago via trade to not play with Wade and Bosh. He did not sign a $90 million extension last year to not be on a championship contender. This is not what he signed up for.
“You’re right,” he said. “But the main thing is, I want to win games. Of course, I want to win the championship. But, how you say: you need to go one step back to go two steps forward.”
Dragic has four years and around $70.2 million left on his current deal, so it’s good that he’s on board with Miami’s rebuilding plan. Granted, given his age, along with the team’s abrupt shift in direction, it’s not entirely clear how he factors into the bigger picture. But it’s tough to manufacture a top-flight offense in the NBA without a headlining point guard, and Dragic, despite his relative struggles since joining the Heat, is certainly that.
With that said, he’ll need to remain in limbo for quite a bit as the Heat regain their footing. Assuming the rest of Bosh’s contract is wiped off the books–and that’s a big assumption—team president Pat Riley can begin pitching outside free agents on a flexible financial slate and playing with Hassan Whiteside and Dragic. But poaching free agents is hard when you don’t have a full-fledged superstar already in tow. That increases the importance of Dragic’s and Whiteside’s performances with this version of the Heat.
After all, it’s now them, not Wade or Bosh, who are Miami’s foremost ambassadors.
