NBA Trade Rumors: 5 best destinations for Goran Dragic
By John Buhler
If the Miami Heat decide that it is time to part ways with point guard Goran Dragic, here are five landing spots for Dragic in a trade.
The Miami Heat have bottomed out only three years after LeBron James skipped town to go back to his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014 NBA free agency. Miami is a terrible 11-29 though 40 games in 2016-17. Only the hopeless Brooklyn Nets (8-30) are worse in the Eastern Conference.
Team president Pat Riley admits that Miami has to rebuild, but plans to do so fast. It seems that center Hassan Whiteside and small forward Justise Winslow are the future for this team. Shooting guard Tyler Johnson is an interesting player, but Miami only has one premier trade asset: point guard Goran Dragic.
Dragic has only been in Miami for two years, but he may be swiftly shipped out of town if the right trade offer pops up for Riley. The Heat point guard signed a five-year deal worth $90 million back in summer 2015. With three years left on his contract at an affordable price, here are five potential trade destinations for Dragic.
Sacramento Kings
West, Pacific
Who would have thought this two years ago? The Sacramento Kings are exponentially more likely to make the NBA Playoffs than the Heat this season. Through 38 games, the Kings are 16-22 on the season, and only half a game back of the Portland Trail Blazers (18-23) for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.
This feels like the closest the Kings have been towards playoff contention since drafting All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins at No. 5 in the 2010 NBA Draft. With a brand-new Golden 1 Center to break in, it would not be shocking for Kings owner Vivek Ranadive to push for the Kings making the Western Conference Playoffs at all costs this season.
Cousins is playing less frustrated for new head coach Dave Joerger. Small forward Rudy Gay could stay or be moved this trade deadline as well. Along with Dragic, Gay has to be one of the bigger names potentially on the trading block.
While point guard Ty Lawson is decent coming off the bench, starting point guard Darren Collison leaves a lot to be desired. Dragic would be an immediate upgrade at point guard over Collison. By going to Sacramento, Dragic could be the piece to ensure Sacramento of the No. 8 seed.
Playing for Joerger could be appealing for Dragic, but Cousins and the Kings front office are perpetual headaches. Are we sure Dragic wants to leave a strong, but rebuilding culture in Miami for a heaping pile of dysfunction in Sacramento?
Unless Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra loves one of the many frontcourt pieces the Kings have to offer not named Cousins, he may not be on board with dealing Dragic to Sacramento. The Kings don’t control their first round pick anyway. The demand for Dragic would be more than what the Kings could honestly offer Miami in a fair deal.