The Heat have made two divergent decisions on two decorated NBA veterans who proved instrumental in their 2019/20 NBA Finals run.
Miami has decided to pick up its $19.4MM team option on veteran point guard Goran Dragic for the 2021/22 season, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). Dragic, 35, has been with the Heat since midway through the 2014/15 season, and netted his lone All-Star appearance with the club in 2018. Dragic was also named to the 2014 All-NBA Third Team while with the Suns.
Picking up Dragic’s option does not necessarily mean he is guaranteed to stick with the Heat this summer. As Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes (via Twitter), his contract could be incorporated to help match salaries in a big-money trade.
Andre Iguodala, meanwhile, will be hitting the open market. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports (via Twitter) that the Heat will not pick up their $15MM player option on the final year of the extension Iguodala inked with the club after he was traded from Memphis to Miami in the 2019/20 season. The 37-year-old Iguodala was named the 2015 Finals MVP during his first of three championships with the Warriors, and also has an All-Star appearance, two All-Defensive Team selections, and an Olympic gold medal on his resume.
Exercising Dragic’s option likely means Miami will operate as an over-the-cap team, but Woj suggests (Twitter link) the club will still be a player in free agency, either by carving out cap space in another way or via sign-and-trades.
Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry, an unrestricted free agent this summer, remains among Miami’s most-desired free agent additions. Woj notes (via Twitter) that Dragic’s deal could be incorporated into a Lowry sign-and-trade with Toronto, while Marc Stein (Twitter link) refers to the Heat as the “favorite” to land Lowry and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets that Miami is a “very strong consideration” for the longtime Raptor.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link) observes, if the Heat could add Lowry via sign-and-trade, they’d still possess the $9.5MM full non-taxpayer’s midlevel exception to sign a quality free agent and would be in position to retain restricted free agent sharpshooter Duncan Robinson, who appears to be in line for a major raise.
Great idea,
Pick up Dragic option and trade him for a quality player.
Why?
When players are overpaid, they still have positive trade value. Overpay is liability. Liability is positive asset. The formula is
Liability = Asset
Spiraling
You think he’s broken or something? And I am just shocked Miami turned down Iggy’s option, maybe some contender out there will overpay him (more than the vet minimum) to shoot 38% next season when they could have Avery Bradley for even less.
Your commitment to hating on any of your team’s former players, or anyone that ever played against them in meaningful games, is on the highest level possible
Cap- post-spiral?
This (indirect)(Sillivan) formula assumes a team can find a situation where they improve on that overpaid player. Such a team would be willing to sacrifice value for fit. It looks unlikely, but out of 30 teams, it only takes one.
As many teams would like Lowry, perhaps one will be willing to step down to a Dragic. Also, Dragic is expiring.
The time is nigh to gobble up Nunn. He has Shroder, ReggieJ or Sexton tendencies, but I would expect more traditional PG awareness. Wait too long tho, and Dragic will go first, making Nunn more valuable.
Hahaha
AI is a great player to pick up in fa and play up to 20 min from the bench . Would be great if he goes back to GS . I would not mind him going to the knicks he would be a great mentor .
Lakers need to use $6m MLE to sign Iguodala. Otherwise ….
Lakers big 3 and Deng have $126 million salary and still have money
I’m all in on Lakers payroll management.
Warriors should get him back. They need bench help. Obrue has to be dealt soon with FA here. Dragic is a good player to trade. Especially with an expiring contract. Imo Lowry is going to Heat. Heat need to keep Duncan too. Heat also need a real Center. Don’t get why they don’t go after Howard. With FA coming. We should see some sign-trade deals worked out.
According to rumor, Howard will return to Lakers to replace Harrell.
If 76ers use MLE, then …..
Lakers need him. They should go after him. But they dumped him last time cause of money. So why go back to them. He will have all contenders knocking on his door Silly
Dwayne Dedmond and Precious IS a serious rotation …
Heat will give Duncan Robinson 25 million a year and immediately regret it.
Not sure who’s going to make them.
NY DAL NO could offer him that … but I’m not sure why they would. Feel like Riley can get him back for the high teens.
Iggy to gsw!
Iggy going back to Miami for less money.
Iggy to NBA TV for Tuesday night post game.
Iggy to approve all levels of contact in replay. He won’t even say, incidental. Just, Naa.
This must mean they can’t open up cap space to pursue their FA and other targets, so they’ll operate over the cap and look to use Dragic + 25% as a matching contract in a trade. I don’t think Dragic provides any value at this salary beyond that. So, they’ll have to find some real assets to entice other teams to play. Picks, Herro, Achiuwa, maybe one of their RFAs.
Trade him to Mavs for Powell and Brunson you don’t need to attach any assets.
Off topic
Rumor
Lakers are not willing to pay Alex Caruso market value at $12 million per but can offer $5m
If they renounced GD + Iggy and Duncan/Nunn then they could sign Lowry outright then sign Dunc/Nunn to go over the cap.
Not sure how much value Dragic really offers in a S/T. Unless they just want the MLE which is possible.
But they didn’t renounce GD. So you’re saying they could have and signed Lowery outright? Why not then? That would be a likely objective to the actions here, whatever the ‘why not’ is.
Yeah I believe (according to Bobby Marks) if they declined options on GD and AI and renounced the capholds for Robinson and Nunn then they’d have 25-27m in space. Seems like that would be enough to get Lowry
They’d have to wink-wink with Duncan and Nunn but other than that it seems like the easier way than dangling Dragic’s expiring to teams who may or may not want him.
But maybe they already have a deal in place where GD goes to Toronto or somewhere else
Picking up Dragic’s option makes me worry they’re trading him. I actually thought they would do the opposite, and potentially pick up Iguodala’s option, with it doubtful he would take a discount, given their need there, and if anything he could be used to match salary in some kind of trade. Dragic I was hoping they could maybe convince to take a little less to keep him around, so he can end his career here. I’ll be really sad if he goes…maybe they can potentially do some sort of sign and trade for Kendrick Nunn, so they dont lose him for nothing
Keeping Duncan Robinson at something in the 4 years/$68 million range is a priority.
Heat need to address someone that can guard the guard spot, another wing piece (both of which they’ve brought in to summer league to get looks at), which especially matters depending on Andre Iguodala and/or Trevor Ariza, another piece at the 4 that can defend, and preferably knock down shots, and if they can have some size that would be helpful, and a big that can space the floor, and hopefully give them adequate defense to replace Olynyk,
Kyle Lowry obviously would fill that big need of defense at the guard spot. Not sure what they do with Okpala and Achiuwa, but I would guess Okpala is more important without Iguodala. I would guess all of the guys below would be in consideration, depending on a couple of those guys’ option situations being picked up or not
Paul Millsap is still an obvious target, among others. Chris Paul, Kyle Lowry, Josh Hart, Tony Snell, Torrey Craig, Josh Richardson, Sterling Brown, Rudy Gay, Justise Winslow, JaMychal Green, James Johnson, Solomon Hill, Frank Ntilikina, Shaq Harrison, Lonzo Ball, Isaac Bonga, Kelly Olynyk, Noah Vonleh, Bobby Portis, Harry Giles, Thon Maker, Frank Kaminsky, Moe Wagner, Dwight Howard, Jeremiah Martin, Kris Dunn
Feel like this is a precursor to a Lowry s/t. I don’t see them running it back w/ Dragic + a MLE signing.
GSW should get both: sign and trade Oubre for Dragic and also straight up sign Iggy back .
500M payroll with the tax FTW.
Someone check on sillivan…he’s malfunctioning more than usual…
What’s crazy is Dragic and Lowry are great friends. Dragic and Butler are really great friends. Its unfortunate if it really comes to moving Dragic to get the Lowry deal done, but either way, I think his jersey will hang in the rafters some day
No it won’t.
It will if he throws it up there when they announce the trade.
Greatest PG in Miami Heat history, outside of Tim Hardaway. Personifies Miami Heat culture. It’ll happen
He could be a S&T for Lowry.
Feels like Iggy gonna go back out West to Lakers, Clippers or Warriors. Could also see Philly.
Clips