Does Goran Dragic fit into the Miami Heat’s long-term plans? If not, they may face a tough decision.
The $85 million man, Goran Dragic, is coming off of his first full year with the Miami Heat, where moments of brilliance clashed with stretches of inconsistency, thus landing the 30-year-old veteran on a possible trading block.
Not only is it dangerous to have an aging guard signed to a near-max deal, but the one aspect of his game that should age well, shooting, has declined in each of the last two years. After shooting 40.8 percent from beyond the arc with the Phoenix Suns in 2014, Dragic went on to shoot 34.7 percent and 31.2 percent the following two seasons. If he loses a step in his athleticism due to age, and can’t combat the aging process with a consistent jump shot, things will quickly get ugly down in South Beach.
Even if Pat Riley did decide to trade the eight-year veteran, who’s to say they would even get anything substantial in return? Investing large sums of money into a score-first point guard entering his 30’s with declining shooting numbers is well beyond risky. Dragic’s game is heavily predicated off of his speed and ability to get to the rim, but he probably only has a few years left of elite athleticism left in the tank. Luckily, he’s done a fairly good job at avoiding injuries. I’m sure his dentist would disagree.
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The Heat need to decide what their game plan is going forward before they can make a decision on whether to trade Dragic. If the game plan is to win now at all costs with an up-tempo offense and drifting away from Wade hero-ball, then Dragic should not be traded. The Dragon is one of the best up-tempo guards in the league, and thrived under such circumstances in Phoenix, where he controlled the pace and averaged 20.3 points per game.
Essentially, Dragic is only worth the max deal if the Heat fully commit to building the offense around him. Otherwise, the up-tempo guard is relegated to standing in the corner as a spot up shooter, which is clearly not his forte. And defensively, Dragic is adequate at best, so you’re not really gaining much from him on the other side of the court. A backcourt consisting of Dragic and Wade, two aging guards who aren’t great shooters, could quickly become a disaster, especially if the pace is stagnant.
Normally, if a player on the latter half of his prime is not living up to a big contract, any team would react quickly to rid themselves of such baggage, but this situation is not as simple. Yes, only averaging 14.8 points per game in his 98 games in a Heat uniform as a score-first guard is a huge disappointment. This cannot be debated, but he’s probably the best point guard this team has had since Tim Hardaway over a decade ago.
Dragic may be struggling, but he’s considerably better than Mario Chalmers, Jason Williams, and a washed-up Gary Payton. Let us not forget the standing ovation that greeted Mike Bibby when he first made his way into the American Airlines Arena. It would be hard for the Heat to turn away their most gifted point guard in over a decade, but Dragic’s shortcomings are a cause for concern.
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Unfortunately for the Heat, this is not an easy decision to make, and even if the decision is made to trade Dragic, the market for him might not be too great. I don’t know if the Heat should or shouldn’t trade Dragic, but I have a feeling he’s stuck in South Beach whether this team wants him there or not.