Last week before NBA free agency, one of the more interesting transactions happened between the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors. The Heat sent point guard Goran Dragic and Nigerian prospect Precious Achiuwa to the Raptors for Kyle Lowry, Toronto’s star point guard, who has been the face of the franchise for a decade.
At the time of the deal, Dragic did not seem to be overly pleased that he was joining a Raptors’ squad that is not currently in a position to win the NBA Finals in 2021-22. According to Michael Grange of Rogers Sportsnet, he stated upon learning of the trade, “Toronto is not my preferred destination. I have higher ambitions, we’ll see.”
Despite winning the NBA Finals in 2019, the Raptors are not among the elite teams this year to be in contention for a championship, and are definitely behind the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Brooklyn Nets. Another team that would have been favourable for Dragic to be traded to would have been the Dallas Mavericks, where he could have played alongside Luka Doncic. Dragic and Doncic are both from Slovenia, who made basketball headlines this past summer by reaching fourth at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021.
However, now it appears Dragic will be giving Toronto a try after all, and will not follow in the footsteps of Alonzo Mourning, who refused to play in Toronto after being traded there from the New Jersey Nets in 2004. Dragic apologized for his comments, and is now set to be Toronto’s number one point guard at age 35.
Raptors fans meanwhile must realize Dragic is not much of a downgrade compared to Lowry, and may even be an upgrade. An all-star with the Heat back in 2018, Dragic has averaged over 20 points a game twice in his career (20.3 points per game with the Phoenix Suns in 2013-14, and the Miami Heat in 2016-17). Dragic meanwhile is even younger than Lowry (by six weeks), and could find chemistry with Pascal Siakam, O.G. Anunoby, and Fred VanVleet, if he gives Toronto a chance.
For FREE!
