NBA Trades: 3 former All-Star point guards who could be moved
By Dalton Sell
NBA Trades: Former All-Star point guards who could be moved – Goran Dragic
From the moment Goran Dragic got traded to the Toronto Raptors this past NBA offseason, his fit was immediately in question. The 35-year-old himself expressed his displeasure with potentially staying with the rebuilding Raptors, making it clear that he would like to play elsewhere.
Dragic is currently not with the team as he handles a personal matter back in Slovenia. Sportsnet’s Michael Grange reported that Dragic will likely remain there until the buyout or trade markets heat up as the season goes on.
Although Dragic struggled to find his footing with the Raptors in the five games he appeared in this season, the former All-Star could surely help several teams. Dragic has been among the best bench scorers in the league recently, averaging 14.6 points over the previous three seasons with the Miami Heat. While he may be 35 years old, he could undeniably bring some second-unit scoring to any team that wants to utilize his services.
The problem with moving Dragic comes with his $19.4 million salary this season. If Toronto wants to move on from Dragic, they would certainly like to do so by trading him to get that hefty salary off the books.
However, there are very few teams that are likely willing to take on that much money for an aging veteran that looked sluggish to start the year. Teams will hold out to see if Dragic gets his wish and is eventually bought out by the Raptors. That would make the path to acquiring him far easier for any team.
The team that has seemingly been the frontrunner to land Dragic from the moment he touched down in Toronto is the Dallas Mavericks. Dragic has a close friendship with Luka Doncic, and the guard’s preferred choice is to join him, per the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman.
The fit in Dallas would make much more sense for Dragic, and it seems inevitable that he will end up there at some point this season.