Goran Dragic Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat Re-Sign Goran Dragic

November 20th, 2020 at 5:05pm CST by JD Shaw

NOVEMBER 22: The first free agent to reach a deal on Friday has now officially signed his new contract, as the Heat issued a press release confirming Dragic’s deal.

“It was essential for us to bring Goran back,” Heat president Pat Riley said in a statement. “He is part of our team, part of our culture and part of our family. He provides backcourt veteran leadership and can still play at a very high level. I’m glad to have him back in the fold.”

NOVEMBER 20: The Heat are re-signing free agent point guard Goran Dragic, he announced on social media today. The deal is a two-year agreement with a team option in the second season, Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press tweets.

Shams Charania of The Athletic adds (via Twitter) that the agreement is worth $37.4MM, while Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reports that the deal will pay Dragic $18MM in 2020-21 and $19.5MM in 2020-21.

Dragic, 34, will enter his seventh campaign with the Heat. He was originally acquired via trade back in 2015, mostly serving as starting point guard ever since.

Dragic was a key cog in Miami’s postseason run this year, averaging 19.1 points and 4.4 assists per game. He also shot 44% from the field and 35% from behind-the-arc during those games, proving his worth as a veteran piece on the court and off.

The Heat also agreed to re-sign Meyers Leonard early in free agency. Miami strategically included team options in both players’ deals, working to preserve salary-cap space for the summer of 2021.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Goran Dragic Will Explore Market In Free Agency

November 15th, 2020 at 1:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

Goran Dragic would like to return to the Heat, but tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (video link) he plans to listen to other offers when free agency starts Friday.

The veteran point guard was used mainly as a reserve last season, but moved into the starting lineup for the playoffs and played a huge role in helping Miami reach the NBA Finals. He averaged 19.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists in the postseason, showing he still has some value left at age 34.

“For me, the most important thing is that I be respected because I put a lot of hard work in my game, and I think I play hard,” Dragic told Charania. “So, of course, I know Miami wants to bring me back. I’m hoping we can finish this championship run next season, but I know this is part of the business. It’s a lot of options here and we’ll see. I’m open to all suggestions, and from there on, we’re gonna see which one is the best possibility for me and for my family. So, yeah, Miami’s up there. They were great to me and we’ll see. Hopefully, we can make a deal.”

If Dragic wants to remain with the Heat, he may have to accept a one-year contract. Miami is trying to preserve cap space for next summer’s free agent class and is expected to be in the running for two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo if he becomes available. Dragic earned $19.2MM last season in the final year of a five-year extension.

Also in the interview, Dragic discusses his adjustment to being a sixth man during the season and says he has fully recovered from the plantar fascia tear that sidelined him during the NBA Finals.

Lowe’s Latest: Beal, Celtics, Culver, Heat, Gordon, More

November 5th, 2020 at 3:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Teams with interest in Bradley Beal haven’t given up hope that the Wizards will consider trading him this fall, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN, who notes that multiple “strong playoff teams” have looked into what it would take to acquire a top-10 pick and may be seeking extra assets to swing a big trade for someone like Beal.

However, the Wizards have shown zero interest in trading Beal, even for the No. 1 or No. 2 pick in this year’s draft, sources tell ESPN. The Timberwolves (No. 1) and Warriors (No. 2) are both known to be hoping to trade their selections for an All-NBA caliber player like Beal (or Ben Simmons or Devin Booker), but it seems unlikely that such a deal will materialize, says Lowe.

For the Wizards to really consider the idea of moving Beal, he may have to tell the team he would prefer to play elsewhere, per Lowe. Perhaps that will happen down the road if Washington doesn’t bounce back from a second consecutive lottery finish, but it hasn’t to this point.

Here’s much more from Lowe:

Lowe confirms the Celtics have explored using their three first-round picks to trade up in the draft, but says Boston is considering a number of options with those picks, including trying to trade for a “solid veteran.” Since so many teams are in win-now mode, there aren’t many of those players available, according to Lowe, who says that Larry Nance Jr. and Dennis Schröder are among the players who could be under-the-radar targets for teams looking to upgrade their rotations.
Jarrett Culver‘s name has popped up in trade rumors, but Lowe thinks the Timberwolves would only move him in a package for a star, or for a draft pick that would help acquire a star. Lowe adds that he thinks Minnesota will dangle the No. 17 pick and James Johnson‘s expiring contract in search of a veteran contributor.
While Lowe thinks the Heat should be able to re-sign Goran Dragic on a big one-year deal, he expects it to be tougher for Miami to take the same approach with Jae Crowder, who will likely receive multiyear offers in the mid-level range.
Rival executives have pitched the idea of the Mavericks acquiring Rudy Gobert from the Jazz, but Lowe is skeptical there will be a match there and believes Dallas will have a tough time acquiring a third star via trade this offseason.
It’s unclear what sort of leaguewide interest there is in Magic forward Aaron Gordon. Lowe points to the Trail Blazers as a potential match, but says the two teams have never seriously discussed a swap involving Gordon and CJ McCollum and isn’t sure whether lesser assets like Zach Collins or Anfernee Simons would appeal to Orlando.
Lowe’s offseason preview is jam-packed with many more notes and is worth checking out in full. We relayed a number of Lowe’s other most intriguing tidbits in our stories earlier today, including items on the Bucks, Pistons, and Knicks.

Pacific Notes: Ibaka, Holiday, Kings, Lakers

November 4th, 2020 at 8:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Toronto’s Serge Ibaka would be the ideal free agent addition for the Clippers, but that can only happen if he’s willing to accept a discount to remain with a contending team, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Ibaka is a better-than-average three-point shooter at 38.5% and a strong defender both at the rim and on the perimeter. Buha sees him as an improvement over Montrezl Harrell in spacing the floor, rebounding and on defense.

However, the Clippers are limited to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which is expected to fall between $9MM and $10MM. He’s likely to see better offers, but Ibaka has played on winning teams for nearly his entire career and may value the chance to contend for a title in L.A.

If the Clippers can’t land Ibaka, Buha sees Miami’s Goran Dragic and Jae Crowder as alternatives. Dragic is masterful on the pick-and-roll and capable of scoring in a variety of ways. Crowder could be a replacement for Marcus Morris if the veteran wing doesn’t re-sign.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

With the Pelicans talking about trading Jrue Holiday, Anthony Slater of The Athletic examines whether he makes sense for the three Pacific teams expected to be in the title hunt. Holiday would give the Clippers a secondary playmaker next to Kawhi Leonard, a need that became obvious in the playoffs, and would be part of a dangerous defensive unit alongside Leonard and Paul George. However, the Clippers are low on assets after last summer’s trade to acquire George. The Lakers are in the same position in the wake of the Anthony Davis deal. They can offer Kyle Kuzma or Alex Caruso, but Slater notes that executive VP of basketball operations David Griffin passed on both players last year. The Warriors have the No. 2 pick in the draft, but matching salaries for Holiday would be difficult, assuming the Pelicans don’t want to take back Andrew Wiggins or Draymond Green.
Although Richaun Holmes is coming off a breakthrough year, the Kings might consider drafting a center, especially if USC’s Onyeka Okongwu is still available at No. 12, according to Jason Jones of The Athletic. Okongwu can defend on the perimeter and runs the floor, which Jones says are qualities the Kings like in their big men.
Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype examines how the Lakers can keep their best free agents and still add a significant piece with the MLE without going over the tax apron.

Heat Notes: Riley, Crowder, Dragic, Adebayo, Roster

October 23rd, 2020 at 6:24pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Heat team president Pat Riley isn’t planning on making any major changes to the roster this offseason, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. Speaking to the media on Friday, Riley said he’s committed to keeping his young core intact.

“I think we’ll stay the course with our (draft) picks, stay the course with our young players,” he said. “We have decisions to make, obviously, with player contracts and free agents, and really do a deep dive into this season, myself and [coach Erik Spoelstra] and [GM Andy Elisburg], about how good we really are right now.”

Riley addressed a number of topics, including the team’s free agents. Here are the highlights:

At the top of the team’s free agent list are Jae Crowder and Goran Dragic and Riley hinted he’d like to re-sign them. However, he also wants to preserve cap space to make a run at a top-level free agent next season. “It’s going to be a little bit dicey for us because of wanting that flexibility,” he said. “But if things can happen prior to that, I think we have to take care of our own, as much as we can.”
The tricky timing of a possible Bam Adebayo extension also weighs heavily on Riley’s mind. If Adebayo signs a rookie scale extension this offseason, it would eat significantly into the Heat’s cap space for next offseason. Riley could try to convince Adebayo to delay signing an extension until next offseason but Riley isn’t keen on doing that. “I’m not going to approach it that way,” Riley said. “I really don’t want to get into any kind of discussions at this point about it. … We value Bam Adebayo. He’s an All-Star. And he’s young. And he’s great. And we’re going to do what’s in his best interest.”
Even though the team made a surprising run to the Finals in Orlando, Riley isn’t sure the team as presently constituted can pull that off again. That could play into his personnel decisions. “We were in the Finals. Are we a finalist?” he said. “Can we get through the Eastern Conference next year with what’s happening in Philadelphia or what’s going to happen in Milwaukee or what’s going to happen in Brooklyn or Boston? We already know that Boston has got their team together and they got three first-round picks in the draft. Toronto, there’s a lot of very good teams. So yeah, that’s a question that I’ll kick around in my mind. I’ll talk to Spo about it.”

Atlantic Notes: Okoro, Dragic, Dunn, Theis, Celtics

October 16th, 2020 at 7:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lottery prospect Isaac Okoro has received plenty of attention from the Knicks, Ian Begley of SNY TV reports. Okoro’s college coach, Auburn’s Bruce Pearl, said New York’s front office has conducted a number of interviews regarding the 6’6” Okoro, who is ranked No. 7 overall by ESPN. The Knicks own the No. 8 pick.

“They’ve talked to strength coaches, trainers, assistant coaches – they’ve done their homework. And they’ve liked Isaac from the jump,” Pearl said of the Knicks.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Goran Dragic, D.J. Augustin and Jeff Teague are some of the veteran free agent options at point guard that the Raptors might pursue, Blake Murphy of The Athletic opines. Combo guard Kris Dunn could be an even more attractive option as a restricted free agent, and De’Anthony Melton could also be a consideration despite his RFA status, Murphy adds.
Daniel Theis was a big part of the Celtics’ rotation during the restart and Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston doesn’t anticipate that anything will change next season. Theis complemented Boston’s stars nicely since he’s solid at screening and defending, Forsberg adds. Boston must guarantee Theis’ $5MM salary prior to next season but that seems like a foregone conclusion.
The Celtics own three first-round picks in the November draft and they’ll be looking to deal, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. Boston simply doesn’t have the roster space to absorb and develop three rookies and if the Celtics can’t trade one or more of those picks, they’ll look into draft-and-stash options.

Heat Rumors: Adebayo, Giannis, Jones, Dragic, Crowder

October 15th, 2020 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The expectation heading into the 2020 offseason is that the Heat will prefer to wait on a new deal for Bam Adebayo, since signing him to a maximum-salary extension would cut into the team’s available cap room for 2021. Miami could maximize that space by keeping Adebayo’s more modest RFA cap hold on the books for 2021, then eventually going over the cap to re-sign him.

Adebayo could get the same max contract whether he signs it this offseason or waits until 2021, but if he’d rather lock it in sooner rather than later, it might become an awkward situation for the Heat, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. In Jackson’s view, Miami actually may have had more leverage to ask Adebayo to wait when there was a perception that the team needed another star to become championship contenders. After this year’s Finals appearance, that argument is more tenuous.

The Heat’s plan is to go “all-in” for Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2021 if the Bucks star reaches free agency, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. If Antetokounmpo agrees to an extension with Milwaukee before then, the Heat may not feel as compelled to hold onto their ’21 cap room, which would lessen the need to wait on Adebayo’s next contract.

Here’s more on the Heat:

Unrestricted free agent wing Derrick Jones is expected to receive interest from the Cavaliers, Hornets, and Hawks, among others, sources tell Charania. At just 23 years old, Jones is an unusually young UFA and still has room to develop, which explains why several rebuilding teams will likely kick the tires.
There’s mutual interest in a new deal between Goran Dragic and the Heat, according to Charania, who says the veteran point guard will have multiple suitors.
If the Heat are only willing to offer one-year contracts this offseason, Dragic and Jae Crowder may have to decide whether they prefer to remain in Miami or seek longer-term security, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “I’m going to obviously give it thought on both sides — having security and my comfort with this organization,” Crowder told Winderman. “So, hopefully, it all comes together from both sides. And that’s what I really want to do.”
Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald examines how the Heat could theoretically re-sign Dragic and Crowder to lucrative one-year contracts while also adding a quality player with the mid-level exception — and staying out of tax territory.

Heat Notes: Dragic, Butler, Offseason Decisions

October 12th, 2020 at 10:33am CST by Luke Adams

Although Heat point guard Goran Dragic was active for Game 6 and was able to play 19 minutes on Sunday, he was limited by his torn left plantar fascia. After the game, he told reporters that the injury – which he suffered in Game 1 of the Finals – won’t require surgery and that it should heal on its own now that he has plenty of time for rest and rehab.

“The one thing I didn’t have (until now) was time,” Dragic told reporters, including Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).

Dragic will be a free agent this offseason and will be able to sign with any team. However, his comments after the game suggested he’ll be looking to re-sign with the Heat. In a message to fans on Twitter, he said of the Heat, “What we’ve built is something special and we’ll be back!”

Heat star Jimmy Butler, for one, would welcome Dragic back with open arms. Butler said after the game that he wishes he could play with the veteran point guard “forever,” according to Jackson (Twitter link).

Here’s more on the Heat:

Despite making the Finals and getting to within two games of a championship as a No. 5 seed, Butler said on Sunday night that the team fell short of its goals for the season. “I told them that I would win them (a title) and I didn’t hold up my end of the bargain, so that means I got to do it next year,” Butler said, per Nick Friedell of ESPN. “I told Coach Pat (Riley), I told Coach Spo (Erik Spoelstra) I’m here to win one. I didn’t do my job, so moving forward, I got to hold up my end of the bargain.” Butler also reiterated a point he has made in the past, stating after the loss that playing for the Heat is “where I belong.”
While the Heat’s magical Walt Disney World run was cut short a couple wins shy of a title, the team is well-positioned to enjoy more success in the coming years, writes Manny Navarro of The Athletic.
In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Bobby Marks previews the Heat’s upcoming offseason, including the team’s decisions on a possible rookie scale extension for Bam Adebayo and new contracts for veteran free agents Jae Crowder and Dragic.

Goran Dragic Listed As Active For Game 6

October 11th, 2020 at 5:40pm CST by JD Shaw

Heat guard Goran Dragic (foot) is being listed as active for Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Sunday, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel tweets, adding that the 35-year-old will be available off the bench.

This marks the first time Dragic has been active since suffering a plantar fascia tear in Game 1, leaving the contest in noticeable pain after landing on his foot. The Heat also lost Bam Adebayo during that contest due to a strained neck, though the 23-year-old later made his return to the lineup in Game 4.

It’s still unclear whether Dragic, who’s played a key role with the Heat during the playoffs, will see much action on Sunday. Prior to being injured, he was averaging 19.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in the postseason, taking pressure off Jimmy Butler while offering more ball-handling.

“He wants to be out there with his heart and soul,” coach Erik Spoelstra said, as relayed by Winderman (Twitter link).

With Dragic now active, the Heat will look to tie the NBA Finals and force a potential Game 7 on Tuesday. Lakers star Anthony Davis (heel contusion) is also set to play after previously being listed as probable.

Heat Notes: Adebayo, Offseason, Butler, L2M Report

October 11th, 2020 at 10:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Miami’s surprising postseason success may change the long-term plan for the franchise, writes John Hollinger of The Athletic. The Heat have been focused on maximizing cap room for the free agent class of 2021, but their run to the Finals may alter their thinking, not only regarding free agent such as Goran Dragic and Jae Crowder, but for a possible extension for Bam Adebayo.

Adebayo will be eligible for a maximum extension during the offseason, and the team had been expected to delay a new deal with the 23-year-old until next summer. His cap hold will be just $15MM, preserving enough room to chase an elite free agent. However, Hollinger thinks Adebayo’s All-Star season may make it too risky to let him get to restricted free agency.

Even a “low” max deal that starts at 25% of the cap would take the Heat out of the 2021 free agent sweepstakes. But Hollinger notes that the front office didn’t have cap room when it acquired Jimmy Butler on a max salary last summer and suggests that Pat Riley might pursue a similar strategy next year, hoping the team’s young talent will enable another sign-and-trade for a top free agent.

There’s more on the Heat:

In the same piece, Hollinger offers a suggestion for Miami’s offseason that would allow the team to compete for a title again next year without altering its road map for the future. The Heat are about $45MM below the projected tax line for 2020/21 with a mid-level exception that could be used to add a power forward such as Paul Millsap on a one-year contract with an option. Crowder could be offered a similar deal to stay, while Dragic might get a longer-term contract with manageable yearly salaries. Hollinger adds that with Butler, Dragic and Crowder all age 30 or older, Miami’s focus should be on the present rather than the future.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra believes rebuilding teams should focus on finding a player like Butler, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. “The draft is coming up in … a month, they should study Jimmy Butler as a two-way player,” Spoelstra told reporters after Friday’s game. “He’s the ultimate competitor, and when you’re facing the ultimate competition, that’s what happens.”
Two controversial calls that benefited the Heat in Game 5 were both deemed correct in the league’s last-two minute report, although two others were missed that proved to be inconsequential, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.