The Raptors and Spurs completed the trade between Goran Dragic and Thaddis Young before the trade deadline, Dragic once again had to change the owner, last year when the Heat faced Lowry they decisively chose to abandon the veteran, Dragic was sent to the Raptors as part of Lowry's signing, and at that time there were already rumors that Dragic did not want to play at the Raptors, and once made a trade application, Dragic wanted to join forces with his Slovenian compatriot Doncic, which is a well-known thing, But in the end, the Raptors chose to keep Dragic for some reason, probably hoping that Dragic could get better chips after the start of the season, and now it seems that the Raptors have gambled right, Thaddeus' inside line for the Raptors is a big supplement, and now the Spurs have negotiated with Dragic to reach a buyout, the latter will become a free agent.
In the buyout, Dragic gave up his 800,000 contract, and the veteran has also attracted the attention of many teams in the free market, although Dragic has only played five games this season, averaging 8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 18 minutes per game, shooting 38.2% from the field and 28.6% from three-point range, which is obviously a big gap with him before, but considering the opportunities he has received at the Raptors, Dragic will still be a trustworthy player on the bench. In addition to Dragic's first choice loner, there are Warriors, Bucks, Lakers, Clippers, Nets, Bulls and other teams will be involved in the battle, Dragic will also take these teams into his own consideration, Raptors President Marseille Ujerry was interviewed, talking about Dragic: "I think he is still looking to join a competitive team, he has been very professional in the Raptors, but he also has his own situation to deal with, although it is a bit complicated, but he handled it very well." ”
If Dragic's desire to win the championship is not so strong, it is almost certain that he will go to the Lone Ranger, although the Lone Ranger is now in the fifth position in the West with a record of 34 wins and 24 losses, and the playoffs are absolutely no problem, but it is still difficult to win the championship in the current configuration of the Lone Ranger, relying only on the only All-Star in the team, Doncic, who is obviously insufficient, not to mention that there are Bucks, Nets, and 76ers in the East, just look at the Warriors, Suns, and 76ers in the West. The Jazz these teams are also very difficult to play alone, plus the team also sent away the team's only can rely on the inside defender Porzingis, now the team's defense is the biggest problem, and then look at the existing defenders Brentson, Dinwiddie, Nelikina, Burke, Josh Green, Theo Pinson, if you add Dragic can really make two tables of mahjong. If Dragic still wants to join forces with his fellow countrymen, then the Lone Ranger will always be his first choice.
In addition to the Lone Rangers, the Bucks may be the first team Dragic is most likely to go to, as Ujri said dragic wants to join a competitive team, then the Bucks at this stage are really good. The Bucks just won the championship last season, they have a championship background, and the Bucks have strengthened Ibaka and Bemburi, just look at the paper strength of the Bucks in the league is definitely one of the best, and if Dragic joins is likely to get the starting point guard position, Holliday in the Pelicans has proved that he is not the kind of organization and scoring can be grasped by one hand, when there was Rondo around, Holliday's performance on the scoring guard was even better. And now what the Bucks lack is a solid veteran like Dragic, Dragic can release Holliday and share part of the organizational pressure, Holliday, Alphabet Brother can also make up for dragic's defensive end defects, if Dragic wants to get the championship, the Bucks will bring him greater hope.
Of course, the Warriors will not let go of such a reinforcement opportunity, although it is difficult for the Warriors Dragic to shake Curry's starting position, but he will definitely be an important rotation on the Warriors bench. Today's Warriors have a very obvious flaw, once they do not have Green and Iguodala as the team's organizers, the entire team's offense will come to a standstill, especially the Warriors bench really need a tandem organization veteran, Dragic will be a member of the Warriors' full pursuit, and this season the Warriors have also shown a strong competitiveness, Curry, Green, Thompson, Iguodala are veterans of the battlefield, their playoff experience is definitely much richer than the Bucks, They have faced opponents who are also much stronger than the Bucks, so in the playoffs the Warriors may be more able to cope with various situations than other teams, which will also give the Warriors a greater chance to win.
And the Lakers and the Nets want to get Dragic is not realistic, even if the two teams give him more commitment, I am afraid it will be difficult to impress Dragic's heart. The state of the Lakers is already obvious, this season they will not be a strong contender for the championship, and may even need to struggle in the playoffs, even if the Lakers really get Dragic, that will not help the team much, the only thing that can attract Dragic may be the exposure of the team, if he wants the next big contract, you can consider it, if the performance is good, maybe there will be a big contract waiting for him, but for now, the attractiveness of money for Dragic may not be as good as the championship, In addition, I believe that Dragic will not forget that it was the Lakers who stole the championship from him.
As for the possibility of the Nets is also small and small, after the trade, the Nets' backcourt is also overcrowded, Mills, Curry Jr., Irving, Javin Carter, Thomas and other players, how to see Dragic in the Nets are difficult to get enough opportunities, the starting has Irving firmly controlled, the bench has Mills firmly controlled, and the Nets are now a mess, Irving is still not vaccinated in the playoffs This may be fatal, and the recent state of the Nets has fallen to eighth in the East. The team only relies on Durant is not the way, compared with the Bucks, the Warriors compared to the Nets' internal instability factors are too much, the possibility of winning the championship and the team's status will not be a good result. On the whole, perhaps the Bucks will be Dragic's favorite next home, and the big contract after winning the championship is not also within reach?