Goran Dragic has been considered the most valuable asset on the buyout market in the NBA this season. The Slovenian star barely played a handful of games for the Toronto Raptors since being traded from the Miami Heat before the season began his desire to leave as a free agent seemed clear. He got his wish when he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs before the trade deadline, who promptly bought him out.
There were several teams interested in bringing the veteran in, considering that he is still a pretty good scoring option at the guard position. The Los Angeles Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks were named as potential destinations for Dragic, but neither has managed to land him, with Goran instead joining another contender in the Eastern Conference.
The Nets are waiving guard Jevon Carter to clear a roster spot for Goran Dragic, sources tell ESPN. Dragic's agent Bill Duffy tells ESPN that Dragic's deal will be for the rest of the season.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 21, 2022
“The Nets are waiving guard Jevon Carter to clear a roster spot for Goran Dragic, sources tell ESPN. Dragic’s agent Bill Duffy tells ESPN that Dragic’s deal will be for the rest of the season.”
Dragic was widely expected to join the Dallas Mavericks at the start of the season to team up with fellow Slovenian Luka Doncic. However, Dallas acquired Spencer Dinwiddie in the trade for Kristaps Porzingis meaning that they didn’t need to bring Goran in or have a roster spot left for him.
The Nets have been huge players at the trade deadline, pulling the trigger on giving up James Harden in a deal that has netted them Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, and Andre Drummond. They were in quite a slump following Durant’s injury and Kyrie’s inconsistency thanks to the vaccine mandate but seem to have arrested their downward spiral in recent games.
The addition of Dragic will give them another option in their guard rotation, someone that can provide another scoring boost from off the bench while also being a veteran presence in the locker room. This could turn out to be a huge move for the Nets, Dragic performed incredibly well for the Heat during the playoffs in 2020 and could prove to be quite the asset at the business end of the season.
