NBA Trade Rumors: 5 best destinations for Goran Dragic
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.
4
Milwaukee Bucks
East, Central
To say the Milwaukee Bucks need some help at point guard would be a gross understatement. As weird as it sounds, the Bucks only have one traditional point guard on their roster in 2016 free agent acquisition Matthew Dellavedova.
This is because former NBA star point guard/Bucks head coach Jason Kidd has a budding superstar at the point forward in Giannis Antetokounmpo. Dellavedova thrives playing off the ball at point guard and has worked well in his first season with Antetokounmpo’s Bucks.
That being said, not having a strong starting point guard could unravel the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, assuming they qualify. Through 37 games, the Bucks are 19-18 and in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings. However, that is only 1.5 games better than the No. 9 seed in the East.
Milwaukee has a ton of interesting frontcourt talent Riley could want in exchange for Dragic. Playing for Kidd and alongside Antetokounmpo could be appealing. However, Kidd hasn’t been the easiest on his point guards as an NBA coach. Add in the notion that Antetokounmpo is a primary ball handler and Dragic may not want to go to a playoff-caliber team in Milwaukee.
Players like Mirza Teletovic and Malcolm Brogdon could be appealing rotation players for Riley and Spoelstra to work with. Unless Milwaukee is willing to give up a boat load of draft picks, the Bucks don’t have the necessary players to orchestrate a trade for Dragic, especially with power forward Jabari Parker almost certainly off the table.
3
Philadelphia 76ers
East, Atlantic
The Philadelphia 76ers aren’t a great basketball team by any means, but seem to be done with their tanking ways. Through 36 games, the 76ers are two games up on the Heat in the Eastern Conference standings at 11-25. Philadelphia has already won more games (11) than it did all of last season (10).
76ers head coach Brett Brown has an emerging superstar in center Joel Embiid and a ton of interesting players in the frontcourt that are probably available for trade. The two guys that could have Miami’s intrigue are centers Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel. It could be a frontcourt logjam with either Noel or Okafor starting next Whiteside with Miami. However, Okafor is a great low-post scorer and Noel has shown that he can play alongside varying types of big men at the four.
Realistically, the 76ers need to seriously consider getting better at point guard now. T.J. McConnell can only tread water for so long for Brown now that veteran Jerryd Bayless is out for the year. Keep in mind that No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft small forward Ben Simmons will be back some point this winter to play some point forward.
Dragic could like playing for a head coach in Brown and the Colangelos in the front office who are set on winning here soon. Philadelphia could be a playoff team before the end of Dragic’s contract expires.
Overall, Philadelphia has the assets to trade for Dragic with Miami. However, do they want a ball dominant player in Dragic possibly thwarting Simmons’ development in the coming years? Dragic makes the 76ers instantly better in the short-term, but could hinder this young corps’ development in the long-term.
Apr 6, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) looks to pass during the second half of a basketball game against the Detroit Pistons at Amway Center. The Pistons won 108-104. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Orlando Magic
East, Southeast
The genesis of the Dragic trade rumors come from a Zach Lowe post (pun intended) on Friday, saying that teams have been interested in the Miami point guard. Lowe mentioned one team in particular that has its eye on Dragic: the Orlando Magic.
Orlando would actually be one of the better landing spots for Dragic. The Magic need to seriously upgrade the point guard position if head coach Frank Vogel wants any shot at making the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Keep in mind that Orlando has missed the NBA Playoffs four straight seasons since the infamous Dwight Howard trade with the Los Angeles Lakers in summer 2012.
Dragic would be a huge upgrade over Elfrid Payton, who is rapidly falling out of favor with the Magic, and D.J. Augustin, really just a backup point guard at this stage of his career. Orlando has the frontcourt pieces that could entice Riley to orchestrate a trade with a Southeast Division rival.
Riley would probably want power forward Aaron Gordon for Dragic straight up, but that doesn’t seem possible. Center Nikola Vucevic could be a candidate for a trade to the Heat for Dragic. Maybe Orlando would shop power forward Serge Ibaka or center Bismack Biyomobo. Orlando has too many big men!
In short, Orlando needs to make the Eastern Conference Playoffs for general manager Rob Hennigan to keep his job. Through 40 games, Orlando is 16-24 and only four games back of the division rival Washington Wizards (19-19) for the No. 8 seed in the East. Miami and Orlando could very well be trade partners. There are a lot of trade possibilities between these two Floridian rivals.
Oct 3, 2016; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Denver Nuggets guard Emmanuel Mudiay (0) controls the ball against the Toronto Raptors during the second quarter at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Denver Nuggets
West, Northwest
Tim Connelly has done a phenomenal job rebuilding the Denver Nuggets as their general manager. Owner Josh Kroenke has had the necessary patience to let Connelly gradually accumulate high-upside assets to set this basketball team up for future success.
Denver may only be 15-23 on the season, but only has the Nuggets 1.5 games out of the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. Unlike division rival Portland whom they would have to likely overtake to get into the playoffs, Denver has an absurd number of assets to orchestrate any trade deadline deal it wants.
It’s still early, but the Nuggets may have somewhat of buyer’s remorse in drafting point guard Emmanuel Mudiay two years ago. He turns the ball over way too much and may not be the star that Connelly thought he drafted in 2015.
Spoelstra is a specialist in developing point guards. He may covet the high-upside potential in Mudiay in a trade for Dragic. If Denver isn’t done with Mudiay, but still wants Dragic for a postseason push, the Nuggets could offer up pretty everybody on the team not named Jamal Murray or Nikola Jokic.
The Nuggets would be the ideal trade partner for the Heat to shop Dragic to. They could get a point guard back in Mudiay, guards like Gary Harris or Will Barton, and frontcourt studs like Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried, Jusuf Nurkic, or Wilson Chandler. The Nuggets also have picks out the wazoo.
Conceivably, Miami may end up holding on to Dragic. However, if the Heat do part ways with their starting point guard, they have to like what they could potentially get for him from the Nuggets. Connelly will be best this NBA trade deadline. That’s for sure.
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