Heat in stronger position as they can offer more lucrative contract…
Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic reportedly feels that the Los Angeles Lakers could be a ‘perfect fit’ for him as he looks ahead to becoming a free agent this summer.
READ MORE
NBA Trade Deadline 2015 round-up: Dragic gets his wish and leaves Suns.
NBA Trade Deadline 2015 tracker: All the rumors and official deals.
Bosh could miss rest of season: Heat center reportedly has blood clot in lung.
Dragic was traded to the Heat as part of a huge deal with the Phoenix Suns in a dramatic end to the trade deadline day on Thursday, and it was reported that Miami was one of his favoured destinations.
The Slovenian star also put the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers on a shortlist of teams that he would want to join, and it is reported that he will still consider LA in the summer when he becomes a free agent.
“A person familiar with Dragic’s thinking said he “loves the opportunity” to join the Lakers and sees them as a “perfect fit” when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer. But the Heat can sign Dragic a five-year deal worth up to $100 million, while other teams can offer up to a four-year deal worth $80 million,” the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
With the new TV deal that will come into effect ahead of the 2016/17 season, teams around the league will benefit from a sharp increase in the salary cap.
As a result, many players are now happy to sign on to short-term deals knowing that they can earn significantly more in a year’s time and Dragic will ultimately fall in that bracket.
Both the Lakers and the Knicks will be open to over-paying a free agent such is the situation that they currently find themselves in, and given that Dragic is a border-line All-Star and can undoubtedly be trusted with running a team, he will be firmly in their sights come the summer.
With his disappointing final half-season with the Suns behind him, he will be relishing the chance of getting back to being the focal point of a team in Miami, but it would come as no surprise if he considers his options again in the summer and opts for a switch back to the Western Conference to join the rebuilding Lakers.
COMMENTS