Goran Dragic tells Suns he won’t re-sign in summer

Photo Credit: BleacherReport.com

Goran Dragic is one of the biggest names on the trade market, although the Phoenix Suns’ desire was to keep the 28-year-old and re-sign him in the summer. However, Dragic has made it known that he won’t re-sign this offseason, according to Sam Amick of USA TODAY Sports and confirmed by Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski.

Dragic is expected to decline a $7.5 million player option in order to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Suns were hoping to re-sign him, but the guard has become disenchanted with the three point-guard lineup that has often been used this season. Dragic had a career year last season, which featured a long period of time without Eric Bledsoe, but Dragic has seen his role decrease with Bledsoe healthy and Isaiah Thomas in the fold.

Phoenix has been seeking out possible trades of Thomas — who was signed last offseason — in order to appease Dragic, but Amick says that wouldn’t make much of a difference. Dragic wants out, and he wants out to a team where he could be the man at point guard.

Wojnarowski names the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Miami Heat as the preferred destinations for Dragic. All three teams have gaping holes at point guard, so he would certainly have the opportunity he seeks. In addition to those three teams, there are reportedly four other teams Dragic would be willing to re-sign with if traded to them.

Other teams with known Dragic interest include the Indiana Pacers and Houston Rockets, but while Dragic may be okay re-signing with the Pacers, the Rockets reportedly aren’t on his list. ESPN’s Marc Stein reports the Boston Celtics want in on the Dragic sweepstakes, and the Celtics have a boatload of draft picks that could be used in a trade. Yahoo! Sports’ Marc Spears says the Sacramento Kings would consider moving Jason Thompson and rookie Nik Stauskas in a deal. Of course, the question remains whether Dragic would re-sign with either of these teams, and it would be risky to trade away assets without the guarantee of him re-signing.

The Suns could remain defiant and keep Dragic around for a playoff run, or they could just trade him wherever they want in order to secure the best return, regardless of his wishes. Dragic could still sign a max deal with the Lakers or Knicks if he wanted to in the summer, but there would be less guaranteed money.

Dragic would be a nice coup for many of these teams, but it’ll be interesting to see what they’re willing to give up to get him with him hitting free agency in the summer. Teams like the Lakers and Knicks don’t have many assets they’d be willing move, especially if they think they can sign Dragic outright. How the Suns navigate this messy situation should be quite intriguing.