Third time’s a charm?
What is old is new again. The Dallas Mavericks “intend to explore the possibility” of signing NBA veteran Goran Dragic this offseason, Marc Stein reports.
Dallas has reportedly been pursuing Dragic for quite some time. Dragic, a Slovenian national, is close with Mavericks star Luka Doncic. The two have played on the Slovenian national team together and Doncic sees him as a role model.
The pairing makes sense from a locker room stand point, at the very least. Dragic, 36, may also have something left in the tank too. He averaged 7.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in 16 games after signing with the Brooklyn Nets after the trade deadline last season.
Another ball handler, especially one close with Doncic, certainly won’t hurt the Mavericks. However, Dragic shot just 37.6 percent overall and a woeful 24.5 percent on three-pointers with the Nets.
The Mavericks appeared poised to land Dragic last season multiple times. First, they tried to work a deal at the trade deadline with the Toronto Raptors, where Dragic “was” at the time. It would have sent Kristaps Porzingis to Toronto in exchange for Dragic and Gary Trent Jr. It never materialized.
The Raptors wound up trading Dragic to the San Antonio Spurs instead. That didn’t stop Dallas’ pursuit, though. San Antonio bought out Dragic, allowing him to become a free agent. The Mavericks were on the short list of possible destinations for Dragic. He chose Brooklyn.
Dragic is a free agent this summer, and he will have a number of suitors. He will have the final say in where he signs, but Dallas will assuredly be in the mix. Again.