Miami Heat: 3 trade possibilities for Goran Dragic

3. Utah Jazz

Due to the emergence of young shooting guard Donovan Mitchell, the Utah Jazz were able to remain in the playoffs after losing All-Star forward Gordon Hayward in free agency. The Jazz are still focused on making the playoffs, as they are currently seventh in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. However, they are only 2.5 games ahead of 10th place, and part of the reason why is their abysmal 3-point shooting, as Utah ranks 24th in 3-point percentage.

Mitchell’s play has progressed over the season, but it most likely won’t be enough to make Utah improve on their playoff success from last year. Utah’s second star, Rudy Gobert, is not a strong scorer. Everyone else on the team besides Mitchell is inept at creating their own shot. As the playoffs come around, having only one shot creator usually doesn’t lead to winning.

Goran Dragic, however, is a skilled scorer. He scores efficiently by driving to the hoop and shooting. He would be able to take some of the pressure of Mitchell while contributing on the defensive end as well. Pairing Dragic and Mitchell should ease both of their offensive work loads, as they can rely on each other to run the offense, rather than have Mitchell as the only player making his own shots. Adding a reliable 3-point shooter like Wayne Ellington helps spread the floor as well.

Meanwhile, the Heat would make this trade with their eyes on the future. They would receive a solid point guard in Ricky Rubio who would likely run the second unit for the remainder of the season. Rubio’s deal is expiring, which will decrease the enormous payroll for next season. The Heat also receive a second round draft pick and another expiring contract in Thabo Sefolosha.