Goran Dragic gets traded to Dallas Mavericks
As soon as he was involved in the sign-and-trade deal for Kyle Lowry to go to Miami, many believed that Goran Dragic would be re-routed in a trade somewhere else since he has one year and $19.4M remaining on his contract.
The team that would make the most sense for him if he was to be traded and the team that has shown the most interest in him is the Dallas Mavericks.
Not only could they utilize another experienced secondary ball-handler, but Dragic is good friends with Luka Doncic, especially after they played together on Team Slovenia in the Olympics this year, coming up just short of winning a Bronze Medal.
In fact, the two have seemed to keep in touch since the Olympics, and Doncic posted a picture of them on Instagram together and working out.
READ MORE: Predictions for Latest NBA Trade Rumors: Simmons, Siakam, Dragic, Lillard
Given that they just extended Luka Doncic long-term on a supermax deal and since they just re-signed Tim Hardaway Jr. on a massive deal, the Mavericks do not have much cap space left, but they do have some movable contracts.
Dwight Powell ($11M 2021-22 salary), Maxi Kleber ($8.7M), Willie Cauley-Stein ($4.1M), and Dorian Finney-Smith ($4M) could all potentially be moved to acquire Goran Dragic. The Mavs also have a $10.8M TPE, but that is not enough for them to absorb Dragic’s contract.
The point of the matter is that while the Mavericks are going to be a decent team with Luka Doncic, they still need more talent to elevate themselves to be a true contender.
READ MORE: Predictions for Latest NBA Trade Rumors: Simmons, Siakam, Dragic, Lillard
Doncic cannot do things on his own and while Dragic certainly does not make them a true contender, he definitely makes them a better team since he can take pressure off of Luka.
Maybe this trade will not happen at the beginning of the year, but by midseason, if Toronto is getting production from their young talents and the Mavericks are looking to be “buyers” at the NBA trade deadline, their No. 1 target will almost definitely be Goran Dragic. There is the possibility of a buyout as Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer also has reported.
