The Heat continue on their merry way toward a top-five pick in this June's draft. They are a trainwreck, and Pat Riley knows it. Trade rumors have been percolating for some time, and now ESPN reports that multiple teams have inquired about the availability of starting point guard Goran Dragic.
Teams will express interest in Dragic ahead of the trade deadline -- a bunch, including the Magic, already did, per league sources -- but Miami can hold out for a hefty return. They gave up a ton for Dragic, and they'd need to save face in any teardown trade.
Source: Zach Lowe 10 things I like and don't like, featuring C.J. McCollum's jumpers - NBA.
This says way more about the Magic than about the Heat. We've heard for weeks that Dragic was available in deals, and it makes the most sense. He's a ball-dominant point guard who's not great defensively and isn't good enough to raise the team up on his shoulders or build around long-term, despite the big contract the Heat gave him in 2015.
For Orlando, it means that it has no confidence in Elfrid Payton as its starting point guard. He's averaging 11.5 points and 5.8 assists, shooting 45 percent from the field, which is a career high. It's a down year for his 3-point shooting at 27 percent. Most notably, he's only started 21 of 41 games he's played in. Clearly, Orlando is not sold he's the point guard of the future.
The most basic deal involves Payton and Nikola Vucevic, squeezed in a three-big-man rotation in Orlando, going for Dragic straight up. That's a hefty price for Orlando, but then, "overpaying for veteran guys who won't wind up helping them that much" is kind of the Magic's M.O. over the past two years. There's also a deal involving Jeff Green's $15 million one-year contract, but the Magic would have to sweeten that dramatically with draft picks or other promising players.
The Magic should ultimately be wary of such a deal. While it is in line with their other moves, targeting value veterans, it's not clear how this would really move the needle. Acquiring Dragic on a multi-year deal may seem wiser than committing long-term big money to Payton when his rookie deal comes up in restricted free agency, but there are concerns on both ends. Dragic has talent, but has only truly been unlocked in fast-paced systems like Seven Seconds or Less in Phoenix or under Jeff Hornacek there. He's bad defensively, and with coach Frank Vogel and a grind-it-out offensive mentality, it's a poor fit. Payton still has upside. If they're going to move in a different direction at point, they need to manage that with a more certain upgrade.
Essentially, the Magic are in a very similar situation as Miami, and if Dragic is unable to make the Heat competitive, then his odds of doing so in Orlando are similarly bad. For the Heat, this would be great. The Magic have young assets and picks, things Miami desperately needs. If they can get the impulsive Magic to make a move like this, they should consider it. They need to get return for Dragic because of what they gave up for him in the original deal, but they're also at so low a point as to not need immediate impact. They can play the long-term game, and that opens up what they can get back.
It should be noted this is likely coming from the Heat side as they try and drive up the price of Dragic. Lowe also mentioned recently that Hassan Whiteside could be moved. There's probably an internal evolving conversation about making these moves, but the Heat are going to work to raise that price as much as possible. We'll see if the Magic pull the trigger.
