Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic has been the consummate pro, teammate, and a leader for the team. After a rather fluid offseason for the team, he had a take.
The Miami Heat are a very deliberate team. From the way that they operate in the offseason to the way that they operate midseason, everything is done for a reason and on purpose.
That is also the case with most of their players. It is with that thought in mind though, that you must deeply ponder upon anything the usually mundane Goran Dragic says.
In an exchange of questions and answers with Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, Dragic was about as open a book as he’s ever been. In this exchange he spoke about the trade snafu with the Dallas Mavericks, the coming and going of certain new and old teammates, his December knee surgery and how he’s bouncing back, the team’s point guard scenario, and his future.
As a part of the trade that landed Jimmy Butler for the Miami Heat, it was originally reported that Dragic would be sent to the Dallas Mavericks. It turns out that it wasn’t happening, but Dragic didn’t know either way. Here is what he had to say of the whole scenario, per Chiang’s reporting.
"“If I’m honest, I did not hear it. I heard it after, a little bit. Because when that was going on, I was asleep,” Dragic, who spent most of his offseason in Slovenia before returning to the United States in late August, said Tuesday. “I was sleeping. I didn’t know what was going on.“Of course, the next day, in the morning, I received a lot of texts. It was a little bit crazy, because at first you didn’t know if the deal went through or not. So a lot of my friends called me and were asking me. But I did not have a clue, because I had just woke up.”"
After going on for a bit about the scenario, Dragic eventually revealed that it was all water under the bridge for him. Specifically, he says he “didn’t speak with anybody, not with my agent, not with the Heat”, so he “just let it go”.
Amongst and dare I say, the cause of the chaos was the Miami Heat doing whatever was necessary to land their big fish. This merman is named Jimmy Butler. Here is what Dragic had to say about his newly acquired teammate.
"I mean, he’s a great competitor,” Dragic said of Butler. “You can see that on the court. I don’t know him personally, but as a player, when I play against him he’s really a tough defender, he’s really vocal on the floor. I think he sets an example for the other players. I think he’s a huge addition for us, especially to lead this group. He can play on both ends, defense and on offense. He’s a great addition to our team."
It went even further than just that particular acquisition with Dragic though. He noted that he had been watching things from afar. He wound up saying that although the Miami Heat lost two players in Josh Richardson and Hassan Whiteside, the departures would open up more time for players like Bam Adebayo and rookie sharpshooter Tyler Herro. He would refer to Herro as a “great rookie” before eventually saying that he thinks the Heat are a better team with Jimmy Butler in tow.
Dragic also spoke on last season. A season that saw him miss 46 games, 31 consecutively, but said that he was “good”, “working hard”, and that his “leg is way stronger than last year”.
He also spoke about how he may have to alter his game to protect himself from further injury. He specifically said his game would feature “maybe more threes, more catch-and-shoot plays” and that he is “working toward” and “practicing like that”. His injury and absence segue right into the next topic at hand.
While Dragic was out, the Miami Heat needed someone to play point guard in his place. Justise Winslow was the guy and he filled in admirably. When asked about the situation, Dragic had this to say.
"“For me, it’s the same approach. I’m going to fight it,” Dragic said when asked if he still views himself as the Heat’s starting point guard. “I’m going to do my job. That’s it. At the end of the day, coach decides who’s going to play, who’s going to start. The only thing I can control is my preparation and how I play games and how I practice.”"
That is about what you would expect someone of Dragic’s ilk to say. Although he has at times been underrated and underappreciated, he has always played hard and did whatever was necessary for the team to be it’s best. That was again evident in the above quote.
The session closed with questions about Dragic’s future, as he could become a free agent next summer. He basically said that his main focus is returning to full health at the moment, that the season hasn’t even started yet, and that he will focus on that when the time comes.
Whether it be Dragic or Winslow as the guy at the helm, it should be just fine. As far as his future, Dragic wouldn’t be a bad option to keep around for the Miami Heat.
As Dragic said though, this team is a better version with all of their newest acquisitions which means it should definitely be a fun season. We can’t wait to find out as training camps begin to open near the end of September. #HeatCulture