Afamiliar face was back in his old digs when the Miami Heat-Milwaukee Bucks series moved over to Kaseya Center for Game 3 on Saturday. Namely, Goran Dragic, who spent parts of seven seasons with the Heat before getting sent out in the trade that netted Kyle Lowry in 2021.
Entering the contest, Dragic had seen all of three minutes on the court versus his old team in the series, logging a pair of free throws and no other stats to speak of. And even he would admit that he’s no longer the guy who represented Miami in the 2018 NBA All-Star Game (far from it, in fact).
Still, if the 36-year-old has shown anything over the last couple of years with the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls and, now, the Bucks, it’s that he still has something left to offer on the hardwood.
With that in mind, the former Biscayne baller just revealed his plans for playing beyond the current postseason, and the Heat may just be part of those plans.
Ex-Heat Star Goran Dragic Reveals His Career Plans & Addresses the Miami Possibility
Ahead of his South Beach return, Dragic made it clear that retirement is not currently on the table. Moreover, the Slovenian national actually put a number on how much he has remaining in the tank.
“I still want to play two more years,” Dragic said, via the Miami Herald. “I still have the passion, the love for the game. Of course, I started the season really well in Chicago and then as a team we didn’t play well and they made changes. But, yeah, I’m still hungry. Of course, I can’t play 25-30 minutes a game, but I can still give you a solid 15 minutes.
“But we’ll see. I can’t predict the future and everything depends on when that time comes.”
After the trade deadline, there was a sense among the Heat faithful that the time had come. The Bulls had released Dragic to give him an opportunity to go somewhere and compete and the Bucks deal hadn’t come along yet. In the end, a comeback wasn’t in the cards, but it was clearly on Dragic’s mind.
He’s willing to revisit a potential reunion in the future, too.
“Deep down, you’re always hoping,” Dragic said of ending up back with the Heat. “It’s no secret what I feel toward the team and what they mean for me and my family. But the timing was not right, the number and everything. In life, everything has a purpose. So we’ll see.”
Dragic Sounds Off on Playing His Old Team
When Dragic briefly found himself without a club last season, he was spotted back in Miami more than once. And during the Heat’s run to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, he attended a handful of home games with his son to cheer on Jimmy Butler and Co.
Now, he’s on the opposing bench and actively working to end his old teammates’ season. But his feelings for the organization where he spent his best years remain unchanged.
“At the end of the day, this is my job,” Dragic said entering Game 3. “So, I’m going to do whatever it takes to help my team. But at the same time, it’s all love for Heat nation. I spent seven years there. Coach [Erik Spoelstra], Pat [Riley], Andy [Elisburg], it’s always weird to play against them, of course.”
In a combined 58 games with the Bulls and Bucks in 2022-23, Dragic averaged 6.3 points and 2.6 assists in 15.0 minutes per outing and connected on 35.9% of his attempts from three-point range.
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Goran Dragic Addresses His Playing Future, Potential Heat Return