Goran Dragic up for grabs as he prepares to leave Phoenix Suns

Jay Asser 08:21 19/02/2015
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  • On the move: Phoenix Suns' guard Goran Dragic is on the verge of leaving the franchise.

    The biggest name likely to be on the move on tonight’s NBA trade deadline is star guard Goran Dragic, who, according to reports has informed the Phoenix Suns he does not plan on re-signing in the off-season.

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    Dragic could play out the rest of his contract and become a free agent in the summer, potentially leaving Phoenix empty-handed in the wake of his departure if the franchise doesn’t strike a deal by the deadline (midnight tonight, UAE time).

    The 28-year-old’s willingness to leave the team stems from his frustration at the log-jam at the guard position. After trading for Eric Bledsoe ahead of last season, the Suns doubled-down on their strongest position by adding the ball-dominant Isaiah Thomas this past summer.

    As part of the three-headed monster, Dragic’s usage and numbers have dipped from his breakout campaign in 2013-14, when he won the NBA Most Improved Player award and was named to the All-NBA Third Team. His current average of 16.2 points is well below his career-high of 20.3 from last year.

    Goran Dragic was NBA's 2013-14 most improved player.

    Multiple reports indicate that Dragic wants to play for a team where he can man the lead guard role, as well as sign a big-money deal in the off-season. His agent, Bill Duffy, reportedly informed Phoenix of Dragic’s preferred destinations, which include the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Miami Heat.

    The Houston Rockets have also expressed their interest in the Slovenian, but Dragic has reportedly balked at the idea of rejoining the team who he played for in two separate stints earlier in his career – 2010-11 and 2011-12.

    Suns general manager Ryan McDonough admitted last week that the roster is guard-heavy and could use a shake-up.

    “I think our roster balance is a little off, and that’s my fault,” McDonough told Arizona Sports radio. “We are a little too backcourt heavy, especially in terms of guys who, you know, I think you’d define primarily as scorers in the back-court. So I think at some point we’ll need to balance that out, try to get a little more size, a little more front-court scoring and rebounding.

    “At the same time it’s a challenge because we do have talented players, they’ve all had success individually and team success in the NBA. So those are some of the decisions we’ll kind of mull over the next week or so and we’ll see where we are on the 19th.”

    Phoenix (29-25) went into the All-Star break losers in seven of their last 10, allowing the Oklahoma City Thunder to tie them in the loss column for the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference.

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