National Basketball Association

The Unique History Of Goran Dragic and His Career With The Phoenix Suns

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Mar 19, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Goran Dragic (1) dribbles against the Orlando Magic during the first half at US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Nearly 6,000 miles from his home country Slovenia, Goran Dragic came to Phoenix as the 45th overall pick in 2008 with plenty to prove, one of few Slovenian born players now in the NBA.

Originally drafted by the San Antonio Spurs, Dragic had two stints in Phoenix, and while the relationship between him and the Suns did not end well, Goran Dragic’s career was undoubtedly born, and brought to life as a Sun.

Dragic entered the league at the same time Steve Nash was in Phoenix. Like Nash, Dragic would leave the Suns after two years in The Valley, and later come back.

Traded for by the Suns after the draft as a potential eventual replacement to the aging superstar Nash, Dragic played just 13.2 and 18.0 MPG his first two seasons, learning from the two-time MVP.

His “big bro” as Dragic referred to him in a 2014 Instagram post, Nash showed Dragic the ropes of the NBA, putting together one of his best seasons in 2009-2010, averaging 16.5 PPG and 11.0 APG, one of his four 11.0+ APG seasons in his career.

Dragic showed a glimpse of his scoring ability in a playoff game against the San Antonio Spurs in May of 2010, when he scored 26 points in the second half, 23 of which came in the fourth quarter. The Suns were down by 18 at one point, but the flurry of Dragic three’s (5/5 3pt FG’s) gave Phoenix a 3-0 lead.

In 2011 Dragic, along with a first-round pick, was traded to the Houston Rockets at the trade deadline for Aaron Brooks. Dragic started just 31 games as a Rocket, playing 24.2 MPG averaging 10.7 PPG and 4.6 APG.

That trade can certainly be looked back upon as one of the worst the Suns made in recent history, seeing that Brooks played just 25 games with the Suns.

But after receiving limited playing time and not having an integral role in the Rockets lineup, Goran Dragic resigned as a Phoenix Sun in the summer of 2012. The franchise had suffered no loss, getting Dragic back on a four-year $30 million deal.

Jan 31, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Goran Dragic (1) looks for a foul call against the Golden State Warriors in the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The 2012-2013 year was Goran Dragic’s first full season as a starter, which saw the point guard average a career-high in assists (7.4) and spring-boarded him into a near All-Star year the following season.

He averaged a team-high 20.3 PPG and 5.9 APG, leading the Suns to a 48 win season, nearly making the playoffs.

When contract talks between Eric Bledsoe and the Phoenix Suns were not looking good in the summer of 2014, Phoenix traded for former Sacramento Kings point guard Isaiah Thomas as Bledsoe’s potential replacement. When Bledsoe signed a five-year deal the following month, the Suns had three point guards.

Instead of dealing one of the three, the Suns kept Thomas, Bledsoe and Dragic, and Dragic was the odd man out in the rotation. Not that Dragic did not play enough minutes (he played 35.1, compared to 33.5 the previous year), but he not have the ball in his hands as much.

“I don’t trust them anymore,” Dragic said of the Suns after he felt like he was being misused in the offense. “It’s just different, standing in the corner, it’s not my game.”

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His usage percentage dropped from 27.4, 24.1, 22.1 and 27.1 the first four months of the season in 2013-2014, to 21.2, 21.8, 21.7 and 21.5 the first four months of the following season. To put those stats in to perspective, the average usage percentage for a team’s best player is around 30 percent, as was Dirk Nowitzki’s in 2005-2006.

“I can’t take any credit for his success,” Nash said in 2014. “He’s a great player and one of my favorite players to watch.”

Dragic was traded at last year’s deadline to the Miami Heat, a team that gave him sole possession of the starting point guard position, and figures to be even more involved in the offense this year with Chris Bosh’s basketball future in jeopardy and Dwayne Wade now a Chicago Bull.

Dragic averaged 14.1 PPG and 5.8 APG on 47.7 percent shooting, the third-best shooting season in his career, although his three-point shooting fell to a career low 31.2 percent.

Dragic’s game is different than so many other players. With the handle of a point guard, the left-handed jumper of a shooting guard and elusiveness to pair with the two, Dragic made myself and plenty of others, especially in Slovenia, even bigger basketball fans.

What are some of your favorite memories from Dragic’s career as a Phoenix Sun? Comment below!

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