Goran Dragic’s brief stint in Toronto was not a fun time for either side. Dragic joined the Raptors as part of the sign-and-trade deal that let Kyle Lowry join the Miami Heat.
Dragic did himself no favors when he said he didn’t want to play for the Raptors because his ambitions were higher, a comment he received great backlash for and had to apologize for soon after. Dragic was eventually traded and then bought out, but despite the departure, the feelings between the two sides have not softened.
Last night, the Toronto Raptors were eliminated by the Philadelphia 76ers. Dragic, who last played for the Brooklyn Nets, took to Twitter right after the Raptors were eliminated by the 76ers to laugh at them.
Dragic didn’t say any words but used several laughing emojis. The timing and the nature of the Tweet led many to speculate that Dragic was taking aim at his former team, something he hasn’t actively denied.
Goran Dragic laughing at the Raptors? pic.twitter.com/vNhW46IAmz
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 29, 2022
Dragic’s reputation in Toronto was not the best. It seemed like he didn’t want to be there since day 1, and was quite surprised that the Raptors didn’t even discuss, let alone offer, to buy him out of his contract.
The Raptors wanted to use Dragic, but keeping an unwilling player in your team, especially in the player empowerment era is virtually impossible, so they had no choice but to get rid of him.
Dragic was traded to the San Antonio Spurs, who then bought him out. Fred Van Vleet even took shots at Dragic after he was shipped away from Toronto.
Many expected Dragic to sign with the Dallas Mavericks, as his fellow countryman and superstar Luka Doncic had been vocal about wanting to play with him. But Dragic decided to return to the Eastern Conference and sign with the Brooklyn Nets after being bought out.
Brooklyn ended up failing to contribute, and much like the Raptors, were eliminated in the first round. In fact, Dragic encountered more humiliation than the Raptors, as he and the Nets were comprehensively swept by the Celtics.
