# Update: Dragic requests trade



## Basel

> According to the beat reporter for the Milwaukee Bucks, Gery Woeffel, rumor has it the Phoenix Suns want a first rounder for the (effectively) expiring contract of Goran Dragic.
> 
> These same rumors came out last year, when people couldn't believe the Suns wanted to keep Dragic AND Bledsoe long term. They came out again last summer, when people couldn't believe the Suns wanted Isaiah Thomas AND Dragic AND Bledsoe.
> 
> Now, the Suns agree that all three aren't ideal on this roster. But is Dragic really the odd man out?
> 
> For those who believe Goran Dragic will demand more money than the Suns want to pay him this summer, getting a first round pick for him is better than nothing at all.
> 
> For those who believe the Suns are phasing Dragic out of the game plan in favor of two guys they signed last summer, Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas, because they like both of those guys better, then trading leftovers for good pick has to be a bonus.
> 
> But those people are ignoring the other side of the argument.


http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2...ix-suns-offering-goran-dragic-for-first-round


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## Kreutz35

*Re: Phoenix Suns offering Goran Dragic for first round pick?*

More times than not, Gery Woeffel has no clue what he's talking about. Take anything he says with a giant grain of salt.


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## Marcus13

*Re: Phoenix Suns offering Goran Dragic for first round pick?*

There should be several teams allll over that if it's the truth


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## l0st1

*Re: Phoenix Suns offering Goran Dragic for first round pick?*

I can't imagine the Suns would trade Dragic, let alone trade Dragic for just a first rounder. He's worth more, and we can always sign him and then trade him next year. He's worth more than a first rounder and I see no reason to keep Thomas over Dragic. Thomas is a solid PG and great offensive player, but him and Bledsoe as our starting backcourt just doesn't work. Dragic has a bit more size and strength to allow our backcourt to be a bit smaller than most


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## MemphisX

*Re: Phoenix Suns offering Goran Dragic for first round pick?*

Wouldn't want to be the team paying his next contract.


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## e-monk

*Re: Phoenix Suns offering Goran Dragic for first round pick?*



l0st1 said:


> I can't imagine the Suns would trade Dragic, let alone trade Dragic for just a first rounder. He's worth more, *and we can always sign him and then trade him next year. * He's worth more than a first rounder and I see no reason to keep Thomas over Dragic. Thomas is a solid PG and great offensive player, but him and Bledsoe as our starting backcourt just doesn't work. Dragic has a bit more size and strength to allow our backcourt to be a bit smaller than most


I've noticed that there are a lot less sign and trades happening since the last CBA so I wouldn't hang my hat on that


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## l0st1

*Re: Phoenix Suns offering Goran Dragic for first round pick?*



e-monk said:


> I've noticed that there are a lot less sign and trades happening since the last CBA so I wouldn't hang my hat on that


True, but depending on the price I don't see a reason why teams wouldn't trade for Dragic knowing he's signed long term.

I'm interested to see if Dragic takes a paycut to stay in Phoenix and with his Brother or if he bails and takes the highest offer.


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## Dissonance

*Re: Phoenix Suns offering Goran Dragic for first round pick?*


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/566477745136603136


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## Dissonance

*Re: Phoenix Suns offering Goran Dragic for first round pick?*


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/566478471954980864


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## e-monk

*Re: Phoenix Suns offering Goran Dragic for first round pick?*

heard on the radio yesterday that the Lakers are prepared to offer 4 year max to Dragic this summer


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## R-Star

*Re: Phoenix Suns offering Goran Dragic for first round pick?*



e-monk said:


> heard on the radio yesterday that the Lakers are prepared to offer 4 year max to Dragic this summer


Let the "Who gives a **** the cap is going up" overpayments begin!


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## e-monk

*Re: Phoenix Suns offering Goran Dragic for first round pick?*

seriously, 4-5 year max deals right now are going to look pretty sweet in a couple years - that's why Lebron is keeping it short term on his deals


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## Bogg

*Re: Phoenix Suns offering Goran Dragic for first round pick?*



e-monk said:


> seriously, 4-5 year max deals right now are going to look pretty sweet in a couple years - that's why Lebron is keeping it short term on his deals


For franchise players, sure. It's not clear that Dragic is actually one of those guys though, and he turns 30 next season. Going full-boat for Dragic is a _huge_ gamble, and it appears that Ryan McDonagh realizes that and would prefer to punt on the situation by getting a lottery pick and some change back while he can.


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## e-monk

*Re: Phoenix Suns offering Goran Dragic for first round pick?*

so who's offering a lottery pick?


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## MojoPin

*Re: Phoenix Suns offering Goran Dragic for first round pick?*

Smells like a Jim Buss move. "#1 pick for 30 year old PG... you've got a deal!"


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## Bogg

*Re: Phoenix Suns offering Goran Dragic for first round pick?*



e-monk said:


> so who's offering a lottery pick?


I'd be shocked if Houston didn't make the New Orleans pick they hold available, and that's probably Phoenix's best bet. Beyond that, Atlanta's first-rounder comes attached to swap rights with Brooklyn's first, so I could see the Hawks making some offer built around Schroeder, their first, and salary available if they thought they could make it work on the court (perhaps by moving Korver to the 3 and starting Teague/Dragic in the backcourt).


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## Dissonance

*Re: Phoenix Suns offering Goran Dragic for first round pick?*


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/567886555232206848



__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/567886817497870336


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## BlakeJesus

*Re: Update: Dragic tells Suns he won't re-sign; Likely to be dealt*

Who is an obvious fit?


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## Dissonance

*Re: Update: Dragic tells Suns he won't re-sign; Likely to be dealt*

Apparently, Lakers and Knicks are 2 on his shortlist as far as potentially committing to.


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## Dissonance

*Re: Update: Dragic tells Suns he won't re-sign; Likely to be dealt*



> The Suns have informed Goran Dragic that they will honor his trade request and work to deal him prior to Thursday's deadline, according to RealGM's Shams Charania.
> Dragic told the Suns that he plans to leave in free agency this summer, according to USA Today's Sam Amick, so Phoenix may be willing to trade him below market value to avoid losing him for nothing in a few months. He's been a steady top-70 fantasy value this season despite the arrival of Isaiah Thomas but a move elsewhere would almost certainly prove beneficial for the value of Dragic, Thomas and Eric Bledsoe. The Rockets and Lakers are both interested in Dragic, and Amick reports that there are "seven or eight teams" who qualify as "serious suitors" -- meanwhile, Dragic's camp is apparently lobbying for a deal with the Lakers, Knicks or Heat. No trade is imminent and it remains to be seen what the Suns will demand as compensation for their star 28-year-old PG. Stay tuned.


http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/nba/256535/report-suns-will-work-to-trade-goran-dragic


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## XxIrvingxX

*Re: Update: Dragic tells Suns he won't re-sign; Likely to be dealt*

I'd like to see what Dragic would be like in Detroit, although I guess in terms of quality of cities that would be a pretty big drop off I'd imagine.


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## BlakeJesus

*Re: Update: Dragic tells Suns he won't re-sign; Likely to be dealt*

Hmm. I wonder what those teams could really offer. I like Dragic and Melo in terms of fit, but value is an entirely different story.


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## Basel

*Re: Update: Dragic tells Suns he won't re-sign; Likely to be dealt*

I wouldn't mind Dragic on the Lakers but who can we realistically trade for him that Phoenix would want? Jordan Hill? Besides, I don't want a trade and then he walks like Dwight did.


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## RollWithEm

*Re: Update: Dragic tells Suns he won't re-sign; Likely to be dealt*

I don't know that we've ever really seen a PG like Dragic in a Phil-led triangle offense. The Knicks would be an interesting experiment. I have to say I'm curious.


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## ATLien

*Re: Update: Dragic tells Suns he won't re-sign; Likely to be dealt*

Gotta respect the guy for only wanting to play for 3 of the 4 worst teams in the NBA.


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## Bogg

*Re: Update: Dragic tells Suns he won't re-sign; Likely to be dealt*

Damn. I was hoping he would push Thomas out the door and, by extension, to Boston for 75 cents on the dollar.


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## Marcus13

*Re: Update: Dragic tells Suns he won't re-sign; Likely to be dealt*

Boston should have held on to Rondo a little longer - might have been a much better deal to make here with Phoenix


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## Bogg

*Re: Update: Dragic tells Suns he won't re-sign; Likely to be dealt*



Marcus13 said:


> Boston should have held on to Rondo a little longer - might have been a much better deal to make here with Phoenix


I don't know - Phoenix seems to value shooting at all of their positions, and asking Rondo to play half of his time off the ball next to Eric Bledsoe or Isaiah Thomas doesn't sound like anything that would be either productive or enticing to Rondo (who, obviously, is also an expiring contract). Even if Rondo was still in tow Avery Bradley looks like the much better fit for Phoenix (or an expiring and some firsts, depending on what they're looking for).


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## Dissonance

*Re: Update: Dragic tells Suns he won't re-sign; Likely to be dealt*

*Goran Dragic wants out and the Phoenix Suns want to accommodate him - how it get this far?*


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## Dissonance

*Re: Update: Dragic tells Suns he won't re-sign; Likely to be dealt*



> The Phoenix Suns are operating under the belief that guard Goran Dragic could be persuaded to accept a five-year contract elsewhere, thus are pursuing trades with asset-rich teams outside of his preferred list of destinations, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
> 
> For Dragic, the Suns are pursuing packages that include a young player with significant potential and a first-round draft pick or two first-round picks, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
> 
> The Suns signed Goran's brother, Zoran, to a two-year contract last summer, largely as a way to make the Suns star more comfortable with re-signing with the organization. With Goran wanting out, the Suns are trying to attach Zoran to trade packages with him, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
> 
> Suns owner Robert Sarver and his management staff, Lon Babby and Ryan McDonough, felt blindsided by the trade request on Tuesday night within two days of the deadline, league sources said. Sarver has had a long relationship with Dragic's agent, Bill Duffy, which included a successful partnership with Steve Nash. There's a tremendous amount of acrimony because of Dragic's timing of telling management he wouldn't sign an extension. It has left the Suns scrambling, with little time to cobble a deal together.
> 
> 
> The Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings have been initially aggressive in talks to obtain Dragic, who will be a free agent in July. Suns general manager Ryan McDonough seems determined to find a team willing to gamble on the ability to offer Dragic the most years and guaranteed money in July free agency, league sources said.
> 
> Like the Suns, any team that trades for him can offer Dragic, 28, a five-year, $100 million-plus contract extension.
> 
> After informing the Suns that Dragic wouldn’t sign an extension this summer, agent Bill Duffy delivered McDonough and management a list of preferred trade destinations that includes the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Miami Heat, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
> 
> The Knicks and Lakers don’t have the packages of players, draft picks available, or the motivation to make a competitive offer for Dragic, knowing that they have the salary-cap space to sign him to a four-year, $80 million deal this summer.
> 
> The Suns have until 3 p.m. ET at Thursday’s trade deadline to make a deal, or risk losing Dragic without compensation this summer.
> 
> Until Tuesday night, the Suns had been given hope that moving guard Isaiah Thomas would make Dragic more comfortable with re-signing, but it became clear in a meeting with management that he no longer wants to share a backcourt with Thomas and Eric Bledsoe, league sources said. Dragic has wavered on his feelings toward a future in Phoenix through the weekend, sources said, but ultimately decided that clearing out Thomas in a trade wouldn’t be enough to appease him.
> 
> For now, Dragic has decided he wants the ball in his hands, and the offense flowing through him, something that can’t always happen with Bledsoe sharing the backcourt with him.



http://sports.yahoo.com/news/source...ams-outside-his-preferred-list-192209795.html


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## Bogg

I mean, it's Broussard, so take it for what it's worth, but Chris Broussard is reporting that Miami's offering two future firsts for Dragic, which I believe. The Heat are probably the current frontrunner to back into a borderline all-star for something like Chalmers, Cole, and two firsts. If this happens I _really_ hope we get Cleveland-Miami 2-7 in the first round.


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## e-monk

those will have to be future _future_ 1st rounders since the Heat owe the 76ers this year's pick and I don't think you can trade consecutive season 1st rounders(?)


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## Bogg

e-monk said:


> those will have to be future _future_ 1st rounders since the Heat owe the 76ers this year's pick and I don't think you can trade consecutive season 1st rounders(?)


Yea. Unless they swing a side trade to pick up a '15 or '16 first-rounder, the picks will wind up being Miami's '17 and '19 firsts. Honestly, if the protections on that 2019 pick are light and it doesn't have one of those "turns into two second-rounders" modifiers, it has the chance to be a decently high pick given the age of Miami's core players. 

As far as the outgoing salary is concerned - maybe Napier and the Granger/Hamilton contracts to Phoenix, with Norris Cole routed somewhere else (Detroit?) for a second-rounder that goes to Phoenix for the Brothers Dragic? I think that works. Otherwise, if you had to, you could include Birdman or Chalmers. Either way Napier plus two firsts and a second-rounder is probably the best offer Phoenix sees, and the process of offering that to the Suns would be palatable enough to Riley.


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