On a night filled with Shaq-sized emotions stemming from Oneal’s jersey retirement ceremony, the HEAT fought back from a 19 point deficit against the Lakers to pull out a 115-107 victory. Goran Dragic caught fire in the 2nd half scoring 21 points and dishing 7 assists, while shooting 50% from long distance. Goran’s gutsy performance comes on the heels of a report from Yahoo Sports that he was open to a trade and the HEAT were accommodating him.
Here is the quote from Yahoo Sports that started the rumor:
Dragic is a dilemma. When Dragic forced a trade to Miami two years ago, he thought he was joining a team one piece away — him — from being a conference contender. Today he’s leading a roster that’s a couple of losses from falling below Philadelphia in the East basement. Dragic is open to a trade, league sources told The Vertical, and Miami has pursued that option. An early season swap with Sacramento for Rudy Gay fell apart when the Heat sought Darren Collison, sources said, and teams that have probed Miami about Dragic have found the Heat open to offers.
And why not? Dragic is 30, and if Miami is going to maximize its return on an All-Star-level point guard having another strong season, now is the time. He’s a depreciating asset, a bona fide star, to be sure, but one who doesn’t draw fans (the announced “sellout” of 16,700 on Tuesday was laughable; there were maybe 5,000 in the seats) and who will likely be in decline when Riley is able to remold the Heat into a contender. The value of the assets Dragic could fetch in a trade could exceed the immediate value he has to the organization.
In the locker room after the HEAT’s victory over the Lakers, Goran was asked about the trade rumors and I captured this response:
Trade rumors have been following Goran since the early part of this season when the HEAT allegedly flirted with a Dragic for Rudy Gay swap that did not fully materialize. Dragic is known for his honest feedback, so it remains to be seen how accurate those trade rumors are, or if Goran has been kept in the dark. With Pat Riley at the helm and the HEAT sitting at 10-20 on the season, any thing is possible. Goran’s response may be authentic, but it does not diminish the probability of him being moved by the trade deadline.