Goran Dragic Rumors: Lakers, Knicks to offer max contract this summer?
By Josh Hill
The Phoenix Suns will probably have to trade Goran Dragic before this offseason and it’s looking the Lakers and Knicks are licking their chops in anticipation of his availability.
Goran Dragic will not be back with the Phoenix Suns in the offseason, and that’s something he has firmly put his foot down about this week.
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But what that means is his trade value has taken a dip for the Suns while his worth to teams like the Lakers and Knicks has gone through the roof. It’s now a game of acquiring Dragic now so that whoever has him can max him out with a five-year deal no one else will be able to offer him.
According to Marc Stein from ESPN.com, the Knicks and Lakers are looking at giving Goran Dragic an $80 million max contract offer this offseason.
If no trade materializes, Dragic would head to free agency seeking a four-year max from Lakers or Knicks that could reach $80 million range
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 18, 2015
This isn’t all that surprising, but it sort of hinders his trade value to other teams. The Houston Rockets have interest in Dragic, but they aren’t guaranteed the chance that he’s going to sign long term. That’s the problem other teams have as well, since Dragic seems dead set on signing with the Lakers or Knicks this summer.
That’s something that is going to lower his value to other teams but it hardly diminishes it. If someone acquires Dragic, there’s the possibility of a sign-and-trade but that just makes matters even more complicated than they have to be.
Right now, the only team that can offer Dragic a 5-year max deal are the Phoenix Suns, but any team that has Dragic on roster before 3pm ET on Thursday can offer him that same max deal. That’s incentive for the Lakers or Knicks to acquire him and have an instant leg up on the rest of the pack when it comes to signing Dragic this summer.
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