The NBA trade deadline is a over a month away and Goran dragic is expected to be one of the main targets for teams, including the Houston Rockets, NY Knicks and Sacramento Kings after they missed out on getting Rajon Rondo, as the Phoenix Suns have multiple point guards and could afford to deal Dragic ahead of his free agency.
Dragic is coming off of a strong season last year and now is heading into free agency and while he has expressed interest in staying with the Suns, he plans on having an open summer. According to Pro Basketball Talk, Dragic plans on playing out his contract and hitting the open market next summer, giving him the chance to get wooed by teams and for the Suns to negotiate among various offers. The LA Lakers and the Rockets had contact with the Suns previously about Dragic and they are expected to target him on the market as well.
Rajon Rondo was the main target for teams this season on the trade market and now he is off of it following the move to the Dallas Mavericks. Rondo may end up on the free agent market anyway, but many expect him to at least consider signing an extension in Dallas now that the move has been made. The Knicks, Lakers and Rockets as well as the Kings were all interested in Rondo and if he ends up staying in Dallas, Dragic could be the next best target.
Deron Williams has been shopped by the Brooklyn Nets, with the sacramento Kings engaging the team about a deal, but things have cooled since initial talks. Dragic is leading the Suns in scoring and many have speculated that Phoenix will look at dealing Dragic at the deadline since he is heading into free agency. When the team signed Isiah Thomas in the offseason on a four year deal worth nearly $30 million, it looked like it was to help with the possible loss of Eric Bledsoe.
Now that Bledsoe is signed on a five year deal worth $70 million, it looks like Thomas was more like insurance for Dragic. The team has Tyler Ennis as well as Thomas and Bledsoe along with Dragic and while that formula makes for some exciting offense, it also adds up to a potential trade. The Rockets used to have Dragic and the Sporting News reports that they will be a top target for him come next summer. The team traded away Jeremy Lin and they also have Patrick Beverley heading into free agency. The Lakers and Knicks are also potential options, as they were also interested in going after Rondo.
Dragic is averaging 16 points per game this season and he is coming off of the most improved player away from last year. The Lakers and Knicks both will have a ton of money with the players coming off of the books and they each could make competitive offers. The Rockets just signed Josh Smith and they look like they could be going all in for this season. The Suns are 16-14 on the season and third in the Pacific after winning 48 games last year and if they are out of it, they could move dragic at the deadline.
