Former All-Star Interested in Joining ‘Preferred’ Mavs: Report

If he has it his way Raptors guard Goran Dragic will make his way to the Dallas Mavericks sometime in the near future by either trade or buyout. That, according to Miami Heat insider Ira Winderman who wrote, “the sense is Goran works his way toward his preferred (and most viable) option of the Mavericks, to close out the season alongside Slovenian compatriot Luka Doncic.”

Dragic has left the Raptors citing “personal reasons” after indicating before the season that he didn’t want to play for Toronto. Dragic appeared in just five games for the Raptors averaging 8.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 18 minutes per game.

The report is noteworthy because of the close relationship between Dragic and Mavs star Doncic, who has known Dragic since he was a child. The two played together for the 2017 Slovenian National Team that won the FIBA Eurobasket tournament. In the past Dragic has also referred to Doncic as his “little brother.” Dallas, though, has a full roster of 15 players as it stands and would have to unload someone to bring in Dragic.

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How Does Dragic Fit in Dallas?

From a basketball perspective, Dragic is the kind of player that Dallas can use. He has shown in the past his ability to come off the bench and have a positive impact on a team. As a combo guard he also can slide in beside either Doncic or Jalen Brunson as a complementary piece that would allow both to play off the ball at times. As a career 36.4% 3-point shooter Dragic can also play off ball and help spread the floor.

The one hang-up about potentially adding Dragic is that he doesn’t do much for the Mavs defensively, which right now seems to be head coach Jason Kidd’s primary concern. Additionally if the Mavs did make a trade to acquire Dragic it’s possible they might have to give up one of their better defenders to make the deal work.

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What Would a Trade for Dragic Look Like?

If the Mavs were to make a trade it’s obvious when looking at the salary numbers for Dragic and the pieces the Mavs might be willing to move that they would have to give up multiple players to acquire him. Two examples are listed below.

As you can see in both trades it looks like Dwight Powell with his salary of just over $11 million would be an important piece in any trade the Mavs would likely make for Dragic. It also looks like they would have to give up some kind of size depth in any deal they would be willing to make, and that’s certainly not something the Mavericks want to do.

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No Need to Rush

One thing the Mavs have on their size in this scenario is time. There doesn’t appear to be a huge trade market for Dragic at the moment, so they could simply play the waiting game and see if the Raptors buyout his contract. This way Dallas won’t have to sacrifice much depth and they could get Dragic on a cheaper deal to finish the season.

While it’s clear the Mavs need to get Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis more help to improve the roster and get better before the postseason. A trade that sacrifices depth for a role player could actually do more harm than good and would be a panic move when the team could wait and sign Dragic for a cheaper deal without sacrificing depth. Also if Dallas is set on making a trade they could wait until closer to the deadline when more teams might be in sell mode.

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