There has been little question around the NBA over the last nine days that the career of former Heat guard Goran Dragic in Toronto, to which he was traded in the offseason as part of the Kyle Lowry deal, could be short-lived. Dragic started for the Raptors in their opener, scored 15 total points on 26.7% shooting in three subsequent games and, starting on October 27, has not appeared on the floor since.
That has ramped up speculation that Dragic will soon wind up elsewhere—and has opened up some hope that the popular veteran could find himself back in a Miami uniform.
As the Miami sports site 5ReasonsSports speculated, “If he’s traded and then bought out, he could return.”
I expected that.
Another DNP-CD for Dragic.
Did not expect this for him.
If he’s traded and then bought out, he could return.
Indeed, the Heat do have a roster spot available for a potential free-agent singing, as Miami is carrying only 14 players. And while Lowry has been stellar at point guard this season, the Heat have almost no depth behind him, mostly using Tyler Herro as the backup point man. That lack of depth could show, as Lowry suffered an ankle injury in Thursday’s blowout loss to Boston.
Buyout From Raptors Would Make Dragic Ineligible for Heat Return
Now, getting Lowry back to the Heat would not be simple. If the Raptors decide to simply buy out Dragic, there is no chance Dragic can return to Miami, not until the two sides wait a full year. That would be a dead-end scenario.
But if Toronto is looking to dump Dragic’s salary on another team, one that intends to waive Dragic once the move happens, then there is hope for the Heat. That’s because NBA rules forbid a team from signing a player the team traded after he is waived, but only if the team doing the waiving is the team to which he was originally traded.
If the Raptors ship Dragic to, say, the Thunder, and OKC decides to waive him, he will be a free agent. Toronto would not be able to re-sign him, in that case, but the Heat could.
And the good news for Miami is that there does not appear to be much chance that the Raptors will buy out Dragic. Remember last season, when Lowry was on the trade block, the Raptors held onto him past the trading deadline because no team would meet its high asking price for an in-season trade. Once the trade deadline passed, the Raptors did not waive Lowry, instead holding onto him and extracting a young asset from Miami—Precious Achiuwa—in a sign-and-trade.
The Raptors could take the same tack with Dragic, even holding onto him throughout the season just to include him in a sign-and-trade when he reaches free agency next summer.
Dragic & Jimmy Butler Grew to Be Close Friends
Dragic has deep ties to the Heat, having been traded to Miami in 2015 and working his way in the franchise’s good graces over the subsequent seven seasons. He even had an All-Star appearance in 2017-18, at age 31, before a variety of injuries, primarily to his knee, foot and ankle, began sapping his availability.
Still, he was very tight with Heat star Jimmy Butler, who was so emotional when talking to Dragic following this summer’s trade that Butler called it, “the hardest FaceTime I’ve ever had to do.”
But Miami would have competition to sign Dragic, if he were traded and released. It is an unkept secret around the league that Dragic would like to play with his close friend and fellow Slovenian Luka Doncic in Dallas.
Last month, ahead of a matchup against Dallas, Dragic noted his long relationship with Doncic, which goes back to Doncic’s days as a five-year-old.
“He already shown when he was with Real Madrid at 15 years old, he was already playing for A team and doing well,” Dragic said. “I know him as a kid, I know him when he was five years old, I know his dad. His dad was my mentor. I really connected with Luka and his family. He’s just a pure, natural talent that you don’t see so often.”
The Heat would have a lot to offer Dragic. But the lure of lining up alongside Doncic would be strong for most players, but especially one as tight with him as Dragic is.
Beloved Point Guard ‘Could Return’ to Miami Heat if Raptors Trade Him