Will the Miami Heat bring their asking price for Goran Dragic down by the NBA trade deadline?
With Justise Winslow out for the season and the team already poised to get a top-five pick, the Miami Heat have plenty of reasons to go fully into The Tank. That process could include trading point guard Goran Dragic but, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein, their asking price may be too high.
"Miami’s price for acquiring Dragic, however, is still said to be too high to encourage any serious trade discussions."
What could that asking price be?
Pat Riley has mentioned wanting to get another draft pick. He traded two first rounders to get Dragic from the Phoenix Suns in the first place, so he may be looking to recoup what he gave up and break even.
If that’s the case, and the asking price right now is two future first round picks, it makes sense why teams wouldn’t seriously consider dealing for Dragic.
It will be interesting to see if the Heat are willing to come down on their price by the deadline. A top-10 protected first round pick and a young rotation player seems like a fair asking price.
As far as potential suitors, there haven’t been any specific rumors. Not a ton of teams–even bad ones–need a point guard. However a few like the Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings and Orlando Magic make sense.
Read More: Should the Heat trade for Jimmy Butler?
The Heat shouldn’t just trade Dragic for the sake of tanking, though. He’s under contract, so there is no rush to move him, and the team will have a top-five pick regardless of making moves. The only reason to tank is to secure the top overall pick, something Riley may or may not feel he needs.
Dragic, who is having his best season since his All-NBA year in Phoenix, is averaging 18.9 points and 6.6 assists per game.