Miami Heat: Grading The Offseason

Re-Enter The Dragon

Here are the facts: 1) Goran Dragic was eligible for a five-year contract extension in excess of $100 million. 2) Goran Dragic signed a five-year contract worth $90 million. 3) Pat Riley continues to win.

That discount might not seem like much, especially since Miami is dishing out $90 million for a 29-year-old point guard. Compare that to the five-year, $70 million specials the Phoenix Suns gave Dragic’s replacements — Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight — and there is some room for criticism here.

But as Dragic showed in 2013-14 when he earned Third Team All-NBA honors, he’s better than Bledsoe and Knight are right now, and the Heat needed the Dragon back to retain their status as Eastern challengers. Furthermore, with Dragic agreeing to take that slight discount, the Heat had more flexibility to re-sign Dwyane Wade and keep the books relatively clean for next summer too.

Head coach Erik Spoelstra will need to use Dragic better next season, mostly by avoiding playing him off the ball the way that Phoenix did (the ball should NEVER be in Mario Chalmers‘ hands when Dragic is on the floor, for example).

But Dragic still averaged 16.6 points and 5.3 assists per game in 26 appearances with the Heat, and a training camp session with the team will help him re-emerge as one of the best point guards in the NBA next year.

The luxury tax ramifications will be significant unless Miami can find a way to shed additional salary (i.e. Chalmers), but Dragic is an effective shot creator out of the pick-and-roll and could keep the Heat afloat if Wade goes down with another injury.

Dragic has the kind of crafty game that should translate well into his 30s, so between keeping their guy and getting him at a slight discount, the Heat did a fine job handling one of their biggest offseason tasks.

Grade: A-

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