Last year, Goran Dragic finally had his breakthrough season. After years of fans putting their faith into this alleged successor to Steve Nash, a Dragon was born. He was the best player of the Phoenix Suns the year before as well, but that 2012-13 Suns team wasn’t winning and Dragic was largely overlooked.
During his 2013-14 campaign, however, that radically changed. The Dragon became one of the most entertaining players in the league for one of its most surprising teams, leading Phoenix to a 48-win season and the cusp of the playoffs in a brutal Western Conference.
It was a gigantic coming-out party for Dragic, who averaged 20.3 points and 5.9 assists per game while shooting 50.5 percent from the field and 40.8 percent from three-point territory. He earned All-NBA Third Team honors, won the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year Award and established himself as one of the top five point guards in the league.
With one season left before hitting free agency, it seemed like the Dragon was going to waltz his way into a lucrative new deal and re-sign with the Suns next summer. But with Goran Dragic struggling to find his place in this new-look backcourt, his future is starting to look cloudier than anyone would’ve guessed just a few months.
Is Dragic unhappy in Phoenix? Are his struggles really as serious as everyone’s been making them out to be? And will another team pry him away next summer as a free agent? Here’s a look at the current Goran Dragic quandary and whether his future still lies in Phoenix.