At 30 years old, you’d think Goran Dragic might want to distance himself from the team with the NBA’s second-worst record.
But he doesn’t.
Per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Dragic is hoping to stick with the Miami Heat as they rebuild in the post-LeBron James and -Dwyane Wade era:
ESPN reported Friday that the Orlando Magic recently inquired about Dragic but that the Heat rebuffed an offer that was believed to have included center Nikola Vucevic and a future first-round pick.
Dragic very much hopes to stay with the Heat long term.
“I feel really good here,” said Dragic, in the second year of a five-year, $85 million contract. “I feel like I’m in the right spot. The city is awesome, the fans are great, the organization is the top organization in the league. My family, they’re feeling amazing, they love the city. Of course, I want to stay here.”
Dragic, 30, is optimistic about a quick Heat turnaround because of confidence in president Pat Riley, general manager Andy Elisburg and owner Micky Arison.
“The history talks about what Pat, Andy, Micky, what those guys are able to do in one summer,” he said. “I have complete faith in the front office. They’re going to do an amazing job. They did before, now and in the future.”
This situation is tricky.
On the one hand, Dragic is arguably playing the best basketball of his career. He is signed through 2018-19, with a player option for 2019-20, on a contract that was hammered out before the NBA’s series of salary-cap boons. If there was ever a time for the Heat to get maximum value for his services, it’s now.
On the other hand, team president Pat Riley is known for chasing, and sometimes completing, quick turnarounds. The Heat will have a ton of cap space if Chris Bosh’s salary is eventually wiped from their books, and selling free agents on playing with Dragic and Hassan Whiteside is a good starting point. Keeping Dragic also isn’t hurting the value of Miami’s draft pick; this is already the second-worst team in the league.
So bank on Dragic staying put through the trade deadline unless Riley fields an offer built around two to three first-rounders, plus a high-end prospect or two. He can always revisit the trade market should the Heat strike out in free agency, at which point Dragic’s value should still be pretty high ahead of 2017-18.
