Goran Dragic is no stranger to trade rumors. They have followed him throughout his career, most recently with the Miami Heat.
So Dragic is used to playing with that weight on him. That doesn’t mean he can’t use some comfort at times. He received that from head coach Erik Spoelstra regarding the latest rumors around his number one option.
Following via Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel:
While the Heat typically dismiss trade rumors, Dragic said Spoelstra spoke to him about the latest swirl during the morning shootaround at the Spectrum Center, in advance of Thursday night’s exhibition against the Charlotte Hornets.
“Spo came over and did that today,” Dragic said. “He just said those rumors, they’re not true.”
…
“That was really nice from Spo,” Dragic said. “That’s not his job to come to the players to say it, so I understand.”
That’s a great bit of leadership from Spoelstra. The Heat need a lot of things to go perfectly in order to have a successful season. Any added pressure from trade rumors and the ilk can throw off their entire year, completely.
However, if the Heat do fall apart regardless, Dragic could still be in limbo.
Following from ESPN’s Marc Stein:
Around the league, though, there’s a growing sense that Dragic is a name to keep tabs on for those of you (and, yes, we mean everyone) who enjoy the sport unto itself known as NBA Wheeling & Dealing, since Miami is a team rival executives are watching closely.
This makes sense. The Heat are a volatile team who could struggle mightily this season. If they seem to be in jeopardy of missing the playoffs, Pat Riley may consider it wise to tank for a high draft pick. This summer will be one of the few in the coming years in which Miami has its own pick and the class is projected to be a strong one.
Dragic would be the prime candidate to be traded for young players and picks. His absence would allow the team to tank and he could bring back a lot of assets to build around Hassan Whiteside. So while Goran Dragic seems to be in the clear for now, his future with Miami is still very much under question.
