It’s officially official: Goran Dragic is a free agent.
Goran Dragic has agreed to a contract buyout with the Spurs and is entering free agency, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. A slew of teams will now pursue the 14-year veteran.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 15, 2022
The 35-year-old point guard was traded from the Toronto Raptors to the San Antonio Spurs during last week’s trade deadline. The immediate report was that Dragic would work to reach a buyout with the rebuilding organization and pursue an opportunity with a contending team. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski listed multiple possible suitors, including the Dallas Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, and – yup – Chicago Bulls.
Considering the team’s rumored interest in Dennis Schroder over the past couple of weeks, I guess it’s not too hard to believe the front office could be interested in adding backcourt re-enforcement. Sure, the position might end up a bit crowded on a fully healthy roster, but is that reason enough to avoid pursuing one of the better names on the mid-season market?
Dragic has played his fair share of winning basketball of his career, proving that he still has plenty left in the tank last season in Miami where he averaged 13.4 points and 4.4 assists on a 37.3 percent clip from downtown. He would give the Bulls another battle-tested ballhandler to eat needed minutes until Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso are back in the mix. Not to mention, once the playoffs roll around, his presence could only give head coach Billy Donovan that much more lineup versatility.
Don’t get me wrong, I think adding a big man should still be a priority for this undersized Bulls team, but who is to say Arturas Karnisovas can’t do both? If I know one thing for sure, it’s that I don’t want Dragic sitting on the bench of a rival East team, especially that squad up north. The Milwaukee Bucks – who already added Serge Ibaka at the deadline – have lost Pat Connaughton for an extended period of time, and rumor has it this could push them toward an even stronger pursuit of the veteran point guard.
ESPN story on Milwaukee's Pat Connaughton undergoing surgery Monday for his fractured hand — and expectation that the Bucks will ramp up pursuit of Goran Dragic once his buyout is complete this week: https://t.co/fOxRHazb94
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 13, 2022