Goran Dragic Signing Doesn't Change Brooklyn Nets' NBA Championship Odds
By Peter Dewey
The Brooklyn Nets landed the biggest fish in the waters of the NBA’s buyout market, as they agreed to a deal with Goran Dragic and waived Jevon Carter.
The Nets are waiving guard Jevon Carter to clear a roster spot for Goran Dragic, sources tell ESPN. Dragic's agent Bill Duffy tells ESPN that Dragic's deal will be for the rest of the season.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 21, 2022
Dragic certainly helps the Nets, as our own Donnavan Smoot explained earlier today why he’s a great fit for Brooklyn amidst uncertainty around Kyrie Irving’s status due to him not being vaccinated.
“Since the Nets have gotten Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, they have been extremely active in the buyout market,” Smoot wrote. “Signing Dragic would only make the league and fans more mad about the alleged 'stacking the deck' they do.
“On the basketball side, the Nets could use another starting guard when Irving isn’t allowed to play. With Joe Harris’ ankle still recovering, Brooklyn needs backcourt scoring and Dragic would certainly provide that.”
While Dragic certainly makes the Nets a better team on paper, the oddsmakers at WynnBET don’t think he moves the needle for them in terms of their NBA Championship odds.
The Nets have remained at +600 to win the NBA title even after the Dragic signing. They are tied with the Milwaukee Bucks for the third highest odds.
This has been a strange season for Dragic, as he played in just five games for the Toronto Raptors after they acquired him from the Miami Heat this past offseason in the sign-and-trade deal for Kyle Lowry.
Dragic averaged 8.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 38.2% from the field in his five games this season, but he was a key part of Miami’s rotation over the past few seasons.
Dragic really showed his worth in the playoff run for Miami in the Orlando, Fla. bubble during the 2019-20 season, but he dealt with a lot of injuries last season and played in just 50 games.
This is a solid insurance play by the Nets, but Dragic isn’t the same player he was when he made an All-Star team during the 2017-18 season. The Nets will need Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons and Irving ready to go down the stretch of this season if they really want to rise in the NBA Finals odds.
Right now, Brooklyn is the No. 8 seed in the East but it is just seven games out of the top seed after the All-Star break.