The Miami Heat’s season is going beautifully at the moment.
Despite a triple-overtime loss to the Toronto Raptors in their last contest on Saturday, a marathon of a game that should give them a ton of motivation for another game against these same Raptors on Tuesday, the Miami Heat are the number one team in the Eastern Conference and one of the better teams in the entire league.
Could things possibly get any better in Miami Heat Land though? Well, certainly.
With the coming return of Victor Oladipo, it seems, with Markieff Morris ramping things up every day, and with the team being able to sustain a lengthy current Kyle Lowry absence, they’ll be a better team with all their pieces in tow.
Well, that may have just got taken up a notch. Follow along here.
It involves a guy that had been a key member of the Miami Heat for the last several seasons, instrumental in their NBA Bubble Finals run a few years back.
It is about a guy that, when Miami needed an identity after the Big 3 Era, helped come in and give them one. It is about a guy that gave his all, all the time, and was willing to do that with only a few teeth in his mouth if need be.
You probably already guessed it, huh?
Miami Heat Rumors: Could Goran Dragic Somehow Find His Way Back?
In order to secure the services of Kyle Lowry this past offseason, the Miami Heat had to trade a guy that hurt many Miami Heat fans to their core.
Goran Dragic‘s salary was an essential part of what it took to land him. Even on the way out, Dragic was still helping his Miami Heat get closer to a title.
The story takes a drastic turn here though.
Not playing a ton in the Great North, falling out of the rotation completely, Dragic hasn’t been with the team in recent weeks. The notion of him being moved was bound to come up and it did.
Beyond that though, there seems to be even further reporting on the issue. The latest comes from NBA reporter, Marc Stein.
In reporting that seems to focus around the Dallas Mavericks, another Goran Dragic connected team with their star player being his fellow countryman in Luka Doncic, Stein reveals that if the Raptors are able to move Dragic, it’s likely that he might be bought out by said team.
Miami Heat Rumors: Goran Dragic Wouldn’t Play 30 Minutes, But There’s A Role
Ok, this is where the Miami Heat come back into play. Not being able to sign him directly after he leaves the team they traded him to, this situation would present an opportunity.
It’s better summed up here by this quote from the Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
"Despite the uncertainty surrounding Dragic’s situation with the Raptors, don’t expect him to return to the Heat this season. While not impossible, NBA rules make it very unlikely. In order to prevent teams from using players’ salaries in a trade only to find a way to reacquire them shortly after, the NBA rules do not allow the Heat to acquire Dragic directly from the Raptors this season. Even if Dragic agrees to a buyout with Toronto to become a free agent, he’s not allowed to sign with Miami during this salary-cap year that runs though the end of June. Dragic would be eligible to sign with the Heat this season if the Raptors trade him to another team and he then agrees to a buyout. But that’s a very unlikely scenario, with a team needing to give up assets to trade for Dragic before allowing him to leave for nothing through a buyout."
Basically, there were hoops to jump through, but it wouldn’t be impossible. There are still a few rings to leap through, but they are starting to widen, it seems.
While, again, Dragic would have suitors, certainly and including the aforementioned Mavericks (one would think), his heart still belongs to Miami. It’s a proven fact, as social media is full of breadcrumbs that indicate just that.
This rotation is a tight one and he wouldn’t get 30 minutes, at all, however, there could be a role for a guy with his quick-hitting ability, intimate knowledge of this situation, and with the chemistry he already has with a ton of the guys on the roster.
We are all on pins and needles. If the opportunity arises— make it happen Pat, please?