Goran Dragic plans to explore his options in free agency next summer and isn’t sure he’ll re-sign with the Suns, sources tell Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Dragic said this past offseason that he plans to turn down his $7.5MM player option for 2015/16. A report at the time indicated that he would do so with the idea of signing a new contract with Phoenix, but he doesn’t necessarily want to commit to the team at this point, Deveney hears, suggesting that the club’s crowded backcourt is playing a role in Dragic’s thinking. The Sporting News scribe seconds a September dispatch from Marc Stein of ESPN.com indicating that the Rockets plan to pursue The Dragon and that the Lakers figure to do so as well.
Suns GM Ryan McDonough said shortly after re-signing Eric Bledsoe that he and his staff “fully anticipate taking care of” Dragic, who’s coming off of a career year in 2013/14. The 6’4″ former second-round pick averaged 20.3 points on 40.8% three-point shooting last season, when he played part of the time alongside Bledsoe, a fellow point guard, and the rest as the team’s lone elite playmaker with Bledsoe hurt. Dragic’s numbers and minutes are down in the early going this year as the Suns have tried to shoehorn him along with Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas, yet another high-level point guard, into their attack. The Suns also possess Tyler Ennis, this year’s 18th overall pick, as a fourth point man, while shooting guard Gerald Green, averaging 20.8 minutes per game this season, eats up playing time in the backcourt. Dragic’s brother Zoran Dragic, a shooting guard whom the Suns signed to a guaranteed two-year deal seemingly in an effort to keep Goran around, has played just two minutes this season.
Goran Dragic, a BDA Sports Management client, plans to give the Suns the first pitch meeting this summer, Deveney writes. Still, it appears that he intends to listen to others, too, and at No. 8 on the initial Hoops Rumors 2015 Free Agent Power Rankings, it wouldn’t be surprising to see more teams join Houston and the Lakers in the mix for the seventh-year veteran who turns 29 in May.
Would love to see the Pistons make a run at him as a replacement for Jennings.
He hasn’t been playing all the important minutes down the stretch in games, I’ve watched a few sun games this year and noticed they tend to go to IT or Bledsoe down the stretch of games, probably for defensive purposes, could have something to do with it
LBCknickerbocker3 check again…when suns offence runs best…with goran at point…or even example vs BKN when he was in as sg or even sf (he and green switched places)
didn’t say anything about the offense not running well I actually stated it was probably for defensive purposes but in a few sun games I’ve seen this year they’ve gone away from him in the fourth, not saying it happens every game but it is going to happen sometimes when there is a lot of depth at the position and the coach tends to stick to who is playing well in that moment, that could be exactly why he is upset because he does run the offense well but with all the depth he isn’t always going to be the one running it
pretty sure Dragic is better defensively than Thomas…I havent checked any numbers, and I havent paid as much attention to the league so far this year, but based on the past, I’m pretty sure I’m right