Goran Dragic has told the Phoenix Suns that he will not re-sign with the team this summer, according to a report by Sam Amick of USA Today. In essence, this is Dragic giving the Phoenix front office an ultimatum to deal him before the trade deadline on Thursday or he will walk away for nothing in free agency.
The Indiana Pacers are among the possible destinations in a trade, per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
"After informing the Phoenix Suns that Goran Dragic won’t re-sign an extension this summer, agent Bill Duffy delivered the Phoenix Suns a list of preferred trade destinations that includes the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Miami Heat, league sources told Yahoo Sports.The Indiana Pacers are also a possible destination for Dragic, league sources told Yahoo Sports."
The reasons for him wanting to go to the Lakers, Knicks, and Miami are obvious.
Each of these teams are in need of a named player to build around and excite their fanbases. And if Dragic can get to those cities before he becomes a free agent, those teams will have his Bird rights and can sign him to a huge five-year contract up to the max salary.
But the Pacers might make more sense if Goran Dragic wanting to go to a “playoff contender” is true, as noted in the Amick report.
"Dragic, who is represented by BDA Sports Management, would strongly prefer to play for a playoff contender."
The Pacers are much closer to contending than, say, the Lakers given their roster makeup and spot in the Eastern Conference.
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It also stands to reason that the Pacers could grab Dragic if they are willing to give up their first-round pick. These other teams in the mix seem unlikely to do so.
The Pacers may have to throw in something else — like Solomon Hill — and that is obviously a huge risk if they don’t know that Dragic will re-sign. (For financial reasons, they would have to make salaries match, probably by moving Chris Copeland and Luis Scola in the deal.) But without knowing if he will re-sign, few teams will probably offer much more than that.
Of course, if the Lakers or other teams can get some assurance from Dragic’s agent that he will re-sign, then they may make a better offer than the Pacers ever could since Indiana lacks any other desirable assets to a team like Phoenix.
Goran Dragic is good, but, point blank, you only do unwise or risky things for a pendulum-shifting or "over the top" talent. He ain’t that.
— Moke Hamilton (@MokeHamilton) February 18, 2015
But if Dragic’s desire is to be the primary point guard and trusted ball-handler on a solid team, the Indiana Pacers would be a good spot.
George Hill can easily slide to the two spot and become more of a floor spacer, cutter, and defensive force as Dragic and Paul George handle the rock more on the wing. That would make for a small starting back court and the defense could suffer some, but Frank Vogel has shown his ability to craft a top-notch defense even this year with constant injuries.
So even if there was a a minor dropoff and some matchup issues from time to time, the offensive improvement should be able to counteract the damage.
The on-court stuff is less of a concern than the balance-sheet complications, however.
The money issue is a real one for the Pacers.
To re-sign Dragic this summer, they might have to offer the max to beat out offers from the Lakers or other suitors. That is a tremendous sum for a player who has yet to make an All-Star team — especially for a fiscally conscious team like Indiana.
But the cap is going up in a big way in two years. And Herb Simon, the Pacers owner, has shown a willingness to spend a lot in the past for a team that can contend. Could Larry Bird convince him to jump over the luxury tax line for one year to re-sign Dragic knowing that they would be better off in 2016-17 when the cap may jump by some $25 million as the new TV deal kicks in and David West and Roy Hibbert’s deals come off the books?
It would be out-of-the-ordinary behavior for the recent Indiana Pacers, but this team is better off fiscally than it was five years ago, and NBA team valuations are skyrocketing every year. So Simon opening up the wallet isn’t completely out of the question.
Still, giving up a crucial first-round pick at this stage is a monumental risk.
But if he does want to stay in Indiana, it may be one worth taking. If the Pacers can trade for Dragic now and keep him for the next few years, this opportunity would represent one of the few ways that Indiana could make a major talent injection in the foreseeable future.
Next: David West for Terrence Ross Trade on the Table
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