Goran Dragic: Should Phoenix Look To Trade Him?
By Evan Massey
Should the Phoenix Suns begin looking to trade Goran Dragic as they continue struggling this season?
The Phoenix Suns are currently sitting at 12-12 on the season and they haven’t been playing nearly up to their expectations. Coming off of last season where they missed the playoffs by one game at the end of the season, they were expected to come out much improved after signing sixth man Isaiah Thomas this past offseason.
Goran Dragic was a major key for last season’s Suns, but he hasn’t been able to play his game like he wants to. Part of the issues has been the addition of Thomas, who has cut into his playing time and play style as well. Having three guards who are more than capable of starting isn’t necessarily a great move for a team, but the Suns thought that they could do that.
Now that the struggling has hit an all-time low after falling to the Detroit Pistons at home, should the Suns consider trading Dragic?
He will be a free agent at the end of this season, and that makes him the most likely candidate to be traded. Eric Bledsoe just agreed to a large contract extension, and Thomas just signed his deal this past offseason in free agency.
So far this season in 24 games with the Suns, Dragic has averaged 16.1 points, 4.0 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game. He has shot 49.7 percent from the floor overall and 36.4 percent from behind the three-point arc. Those numbers are definitely good enough to garner trade interest, especially after the big numbers he put up last season.
There were quite a few trade rumors surrounding him heading to the Indiana Pacers this past offseason, but outside of that he wasn’t talked about too much as a trade candidate. When Bledsoe got his new deal from the Suns, there were plenty more rumors that the Suns could be more willing to trade Dragic.
More from Hoops Habit
- The 5 most dominant NBA players who never won a championship
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
Dragic is 28 years of age, which is older than some might think of him. That being said, he still has plenty of good basketball left in him, and there are plenty of teams out there that are looking for an upgrade at the point guard position. It would be very wise for the Suns to put him on the trade block and see what they could get in return.
Offensively he is more than capable of being a number two option, and he can be a number one option on some nights. His shooting is excellent and he can get to the rim and be a playmaker for his teammates as well. Phoenix needs to see what they can get for him now and get a player or two back in return for him while they still can before he leaves in free agency.
Expect to see Dragic’s name mentioned in trade rumors prior to the trading deadline. It wouldn’t be too surprising at all to see him get moved before the deadline unless the Suns are able to make a run and get back on a winning streak.