Goran Dragic, who recently announced his retirement from basketball, revealed that he had several offers to continue playing but he only wanted to play for the Miami Heat.
"I will be honest, I had offers from Europe, from Milan, Madrid, Panathinaikos, Barcelona,” Dragic told a Slovenian news outlet (translation courtesy of basketnews.com). "I never wanted to go back to Europe. I wouldn't want to be without my children living in the US for a year.
“The only option was Miami, with whom I was in talks,” Dragic continued. “In the end, it didn't work out because they have too many players under contract.”
Goran Dragic did not want to go overseas to continue his basketball career, hoping instead that he would sign with the Miami Heat.
Dragic had hoped to return to the Heat before the season started, but when a trade for Damian Lillard didn’t materialize the Heat went into training camp with 14 players on standard contracts. Well into the luxury tax, the Heat have chosen not to fill the 15th and final roster spot.
After departing Miami in 2021 as part of the Kyle Lowry trade, Dragic played for the Raptors, Nets, Bucks and Bulls before becoming a free agent last summer. Despite getting traded, Dragic always spoke glowingly of the Heat franchise and aimed to make a return. Dragic has even attended multiple Heat home games this season.
Now retired, Dragic plans to remain in the United States with his family.
Dragic played seven seasons with the Heat (2015-2021), where he averaged 16.2 points and 5.2 assists in 391 games. He was named an All-Star in 2018 and was a key part of Miami’s run to the Finals in the 2020 Bubble.
In a statement announcing his retirement, Dragic wrote “I am prepared to pursue my next challenge and I’d love to stay involved in the game of basketball, which is and always will be my passion. I also want to spend as much quality time as possible to raise my children.”