The NBA trade deadline is getting close and this season Goran Dragic and Reggie Jackson are targets for teams, including the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets and this comes as the Heat may look at trading Norris Cole or Mario Chalmers, while LA could look at dealing Jeremy Lin.
Miami has been struggling overall since LeBron James left to go back to Cleveland, but they still remain in the mix in the eastern conference playoffs. Dwyane Wade is getting older and with Whiteside emerging, the team wants to bring in some younger talent to build the roster around. According to the Miami Herald, the team is interested in both Goran Dragic and Reggie Jackson on the trade market and
Miami has three solid guards that they have been using this season in Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole and Shabazz Napier, but they could look at moving one or two of those players if the deals are explored. Dragic is coming off of his best season and he has once again been impressive after he won most improved player of the year last season. The Herald reports that Dragic is the main target for the Heat, as they "very much like" the Suns guard.
Jackson is also a potential option, as the Heat could look at signing him as a restricted free agent this summer. The Thunder are looking to trade Jackson because they may not sign him back, as he wants to start and the team already has Russell Westbrook. The Lakers could look at dealing for Dragic and try to sign him this summer as an unrestricted free agent.
According to Marc Stein at ESPN.com, Dragic is also a target for the Lakers, as the team is interested in acquiring him and then signing him to a contract in the summer. Dragic has been impressive once again while averaging 16.2 points, 4.1 assists and 3.6 rebounds for the Suns and they could look at dealing him since they have so much depth at the position.
According to ESPN.com, Suns general manager Ryan McDonagh acknowledged that the team has too many guards, saying that the team was "heavy" at the position. The Suns signed Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas last summer and they also drafted Tyler Ennis. The team also has Gerald Green along with Dragic and that could lead to the team making some moves. Dragic is an impressive player and he could be in line to get a deal greater than Bledsoe's which was for $70 million over five years. Stein writes that the Lakers could offer a four year deal worth $80 million.
Miami comes into the All-Star break at third in the southeast division with 22 wins and they have been up and down all season. The team is ranked 28th in the league in scoring and that has been a main issue and they also have dealt with injuries. Miami is ranked 29th in assists per game and that could be one of the main reasons why they look at shaking things up. The team likes Cole, but he has been shopped, while Chalmers also could be moved in a trade.
