After Bob Myers and the Warriors opted to stand pat at the NBA trade deadline, it didn’t come as much of a surprise for Golden State to appear as a player in the buyout market, often used by contenders to swipe up languishing veterans at bargain prices.
One of the first names the Warriors were connected to, though, may have been more surprising: Goran Dragic, the 35-year-old point guard reportedly set to be waived by San Antonio whom Golden State is expected to pursue aggressively, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Dragic averaged 13.4 points for the 2020 runner-up Miami Heat, but he has spent most of this season away from the Toronto Raptors for personal reasons before they traded him away this week. The bigger concern for Warriors fans, though, may be that, at 6-foot-3, Dragic isn’t solving the team’s size issues. That said, there are reasons why the Golden State could be a destination for Dragic.
A true point guard
It has faded into the ether of our shortening attention spans, but it’s worth remembering: one of the Warriors’ biggest question marks entering this season was who would back up Steph Curry as their primary ball handler when he wasn’t on the court. The competition came down to Gary Payton II and Avery Bradley, and Payton won out — nobody is complaining there — but his usage in the Warriors offense is far from a traditional facilitator (in fact, usually operating in the post, without the ball).
Jordan Poole has assumed that role since he was kicked to the second unit by Klay Thompson’s return to the starting lineup. And while Poole has handled the transition to the bench with aplomb, it’s possible both sides are learning Poole is better as a true scorer than a playmaker.
The 4.4 assists averaged by Dragic last season — his lowest total in 11 seasons — would rank third on the Warriors, behind only Green (7.4) and Curry (6.4).
With Dragic, the Warriors would be able to run a front line of Steph Curry-Klay Thompson-Andrew Wiggins-Draymond Green-Kevon Looney, backed up by a second unit of Dragic-Poole-Payton-Kuminga-Otto Porter.
Veteran experience
The Warriors have no shortage of playoff experience, but there is a chasm between their core group of starters and the players who make up the second unit. Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson? We know what they can do under pressure. Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga and Gary Payton II? Not so much. Andre Iguodala might pencil into that spot in the playoff rotation, but his health has been an ongoing concern.
Dragic brings with him 60 games of postseason experience — in addition to a well-respected basketball IQ that should allow him to meld in to the Warriors’ read-and-react offense — but he is still seeking his first championship. That kind of experience can go a long ways for a Golden State team seeking to end a two-year playoff drought with more than just an appearance.
Of his reported suitors, Golden State and Milwaukee would offer him the best opportunity at a title.
Midlevel exception
The Warriors can offer Dragic something that many other suitors cannot: they still have their $5.9 million taxpayer midlevel exception available to use — if they deem the cost to be worth it. It’s worth noting that Golden State already has the highest luxury tax bill in the league and any additional spending would come at an exponential rate; had the Warriors used the full $5.9 million slot to start the season, it would have cost them more than $30 million in taxes.
Maybe, for the reasons outlined above, the Warriors see Dragic as the final piece to the puzzle. Well, they have the midlevel exception available, if necessary. Break glass in case of emergency.
“We have to be smart about it, we’ve got it in a buyout,” Myers said in a radio appearance before training camp began. “I do think every year there’s players that are bought out, if you need to spend a little more money in that market, we have it for that.”
Warriors connections
If the rumors are true, this wouldn’t be the first time a Steve Kerr-led team had an interest in Dragic. Thirteen years ago, Dragic got his start in Phoenix, where Kerr was the general manager and worked a draft-day trade with San Antonio to acquire the Slovenian.
At the time, Kerr assessed Dragic, the 45th overall selection, to be the second-best point guard in his draft class, behind Derrick Rose (in a group that also included Russell Westbrook). After Kerr left as GM, the Suns traded away Dragic, then re-acquired him, where in his second stint he blossomed into the star point guard he was known as at his peak, averaging 16.6 points and 5.5 assists per game for Phoenix and Miami from his age 26 to age 34 seasons.
Chopping block
The first question that has to come to mind when talking about the buyout market has to be: is this player improving the team more than the player already occupying that roster spot? The Warriors roster is full at 15 players. If they want to make a move, somebody’s got to go.
There are three players whose names are most likely to come up in front office deliberations: Nemanja Bjelica, Damion Lee and Juan Toscano-Anderson. The odd man out could depend on who the Warriors are bringing in. Bjelica gives them size that could be too hard to let go of without bringing another similar body, but without his outside shot, which has gone cold, he doesn’t offer the Warriors much value. Lee’s minutes could be picked up by Moses Moody and Toscano-Anderson’s by fellow rookie Jonathan Kuminga.
Kuminga’s emergence as a post presence also gives the Warriors additional flexibility to shore up their back court depth with a player such as Dragic, rather than seeking out a big man on the buyout market. If they are desperate to add size for the remaining 26 regular-season games, the Warriors could swap out one of their two-way players — guards Chris Chiozza and Quindarry Weatherspoon — and use that slot on a big man, but he wouldn’t be eligible to play in the postseason (and any big signing a two-way contract is likely to be of negligible help in the first place).
Who else?
Dragic might be the biggest name to hit the buyout market, as indicated by his laundry list of reported suitors. In addition to the Warriors, Dragic’s market reportedly includes the Bucks, Lakers, Bulls and Nets.
But if it’s size the Warriors are looking for, there are expected to be a few other options out there: Orlando’s Robin Lopez, who was tied in rumors to Golden State a couple seasons ago, and Indiana’s Tristan Thompson are the names most associated with the Warriors, though DeAndre’ Bembry and Paul Millsap — both traded to Philadelphia in the James Harden deal — also provide intriguing options.
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