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Boston Celtics: The Hidden Value Of Zoran Dragic

By John Goggin

Apr 15, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Miami Heat guard Zoran Dragic (12) reacts to an officials call during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. The Heat won 105-101. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 15, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Miami Heat guard Zoran Dragic (12) reacts to an officials call during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. The Heat won 105-101. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Most NBA fans aren’t all that familiar with Zoran Dragic, besides the fact he’s Goran Dragic’s brother. He averaged just 1.8 points per game last season, and went with his brother to the Miami Heat in a trade at the deadline.

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What earned him a roster spot was the dazzling tandem of Zoran and Goran Dragic for Team Slovenia in last year’s FIBA World Cup, where the guard averaged 14.1 points per game. That hasn’t transferred very well to the NBA, especially when he went from a team that somewhat believed in him, to a team where he was at the end of the bench.

After giving him one last chance at Summer League, the Heat finally decided Zoran Dragic wasn’t going to make the cut.

This week, Zoran Dragic was traded to his third team in a year, when the Heat traded him to the Boston Celtics in a salary dump. The Celtics sent a heavily protected 2019 second round pick in the trade, which is possibly top 55 protected. So, unless the Celtics suddenly become a championship contender (which would be pretty great), they won’t have to give up the pick. The assets included with Zoran are interesting, however.

In the trade, the Celtics received $1.5 million, Dragic’s salary for this season, the last year in his deal. If the Celtics decide to trade him instead of waiving him, a team that may want to acquire Dragic won’t have to pay a dime of his salary, nor will the Celtics.

With the cash, the Celtics also picked up another piece for Danny Ainge’s goody bag of picks. There’s a slight chance the Celtics lose the pick they traded, and they received an unprotected second rounder in exchange for it. The pick is a 2020 second rounder, which could also be paired in another trade, a move that Ainge does well.

Right now, the Celtics have 17 players on the roster, with a 20-man maximum for the offseason, and the maximum being 15 for the regular season. Dragic won’t be on the roster next season, so the next move for the Celtics is whether a trade can happen including Dragic, or if he will just be waived.

While just a minor move in a busy offseason, this trade is an example of Danny Ainge’s ways on a smaller scale. He saw the opportunity of a salary dump, but came out of it a winner. Most salary dumps burden a team with a multimillion dollar contract, but the Celtics managed to receive the cash needed to pay the contract.

They picked up another valuable asset in the second rounder, without having to give up anything except a possible second rounder that would have to be a bottom-five pick to lose it. The only penalty is another man on the roster, but that will certainly be resolved in time.

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