The Toronto Raptors made the decision to grant Kyle Lowry his wish to go where he wanted to go in the NBA offseason. He chose to team up with his close friend Jimmy Butler by joining the Miami Heat using a sign-and-trade—bringing Goran Dragic to the Raptors.
Dragic began his Raptors tenure on shaky ground—stating he has ‘higher ambitions’ beyond playing for a team of their caliber during an interview with a Slovenian television outlet. He apologized for those comments but it caused a real uproar from his new team’s fanbase.
From that point on, the expectation has seemingly been that Dragic will be gone from the Raptors one way or another. After appearing in just five games, Dragic received permission from the organization to tend to a ‘personal matter’ and has been away from the team ever since and was announced on Nov. 28.
The expectation has been that moving Dragic in a trade won’t be an easy task for the Raptors when considering he is owed $19.4 million this season and is on an expiring contract. That hasn’t been the case.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Raptors Confident In Dragic Trade Chances; Potential Suitors In Deal
According to Toronto Star‘s Doug Smith reported Sunday that the Raptors are “finding great interest in a myriad of differently structured deals for the veteran point guard,” and he is “almost certain” to be traded ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
“Given the vagaries of trade negotiations—and they are many, deals can come together or fall apart with a minutes’s notice—nothing is guaranteed but the sources indicate there are many different opportunities for Toronto to turn the 35-year-old guard into something tangible at the deadline.”
The Dallas Mavericks have been frequently linked to Goran Dragic as a potential landing spot given his ties to Luka Doncic dating back to his childhood in Slovenia. They need another initiator for the bench unit when considering Jalen Brunson has long since been inserted in the starting backcourt. They lack an intriguing return for the Raptors.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Raptors Confident In Dragic Trade Chances; Potential Suitors In Deal
With the Toronto Raptors holding a 24-23 record and being very much in the mix for one of the top play-in tournament spots, they could look to use Dragic’s expiring deal with a first-round pick attached to help acquire a helpful contributor.
There is still the possibility of whichever team that acquires Goran Dragic in a trade coming to a buyout agreement—allowing him to reach free agency. It would have to be a deal to a rebuilding team, or one that is already loaded with point guard talent in their depth chart—most likely.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Raptors Confident In Dragic Trade Chances; Potential Suitors In Deal
There has been mention of the Raptors eyeing an upgrade at the center position given the poor play Precious Achiuwa has provided all season long. Names like Jakob Poelt, Richaun Holmes, and Myles Turner have been linked at times, but there will be options if that’s the route they choose to take.
A veteran guard like Eric Gordon could be another option for the Toronto Raptors to give consideration if the goal is to take pressure off top scoring options like Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and OG Anunoby while having a complementary talent when playing off the ball.
