[USA Today] Goran Dragic tells Suns he won't re-sign after season

With Ariza, the question of state taxes came into play.

 

Yeah, I remember reading that he stood to make an extra $3.4 mil here if he signed the same deal with the Wizards. But he had other options. Rumor has it that Dallas wanted him if Parsons didn't wind up there.

 

This is what happens when Morey treats players like assets and moves them around on a whim. No loyalty whatsoever and continually keeps burning bridges.

Dragic would rather go to horrible situations like LA/NY/MIA instead. How sad.

 

Well after listening to the discussion on Mike & Mike this AM, I believe I can understand why Dragic doesn't want to come to Houston. You have to look at why he wants out of PHX.

Dragic went back to PHX because of Nash with whom he has a personal relationship. He wanted to be Nash's successor there. What happened was that they got Bledsoe and the Isiah Thomas to play that three PG lineup which Dragic absolutely hates. Often he's not playing on the ball but at the three spot totally off the ball. PHX has tried to trade Thomas but has found no takers so Dragic now wants out because he knows that they won't win with that system. Dragic wants to be "the guy" running a team (much like Harden wanted when he left OKC) in a big market. If he were to come here, he's instantly behind Harden & Howard plus he won't be "the guy" as Harden is so ball dominant in this system so he's back to sharing the ball again. Dragic has also had enough of playing in a small market and wants to play in the bright lights. My guess is that he'll wind up in Boston or, if he reaches free agency, I can see him winding up with the Lakers. The Knicks + Heat may want him but have nothing with which to deal.

 

Nonsense. Morey didn't offer a 4th year contract option to Dragic while PHX did so. That's all. Had nothing to do with Morey being callous or disloyal toward Dragic.

 

OK, Dragic doesn't want to come here. He wants to be the man running the offense. It's understandable that he wouldn't want to play alongside a guy like Harden that handles the ball so much. The Rockets will survive, and they have other options. I hope the Rockets give up on Dragic and move forward.

BUT WOW, DID THE SUNS EVER SCREW UP. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. They went out and signed Thomas when they didn't have to. Chemistry was blown to hell for no reason. I know ClutchFans are a little bummed out that Dragic doesn't want to come here, but think how the fans feel in Phoenix. Maybe the Suns can salvage something from this disaster by getting something nice in return for Dragic. But right now it looks like they are losing the guy they wanted the most.

I really hope the Rockets bow out in their pursuit of Dragic at this point. Giving up assets for a player that can walk in a few months would be really bad.

 

He's in for a rude awakening then. Dragic is a very good player, but he's not a Top 15 guy in the NBA. Any team he winds up on will be looking to land a superstar(assuming they don't have one already). If he ends up in LA, Kobe will be handling the ball a lot as long as he's still playing there. So will Wade in Miami. NY will have Melo dominating the ball.

Now I could see him being the primary ballhandler for the Celtics, but they're also a terrible team. He's not gonna win squat there for a long time. If this is really about Dragic not wanting to play alongside Harden, then he's not serious about winning titles. We can do better.

 

This x 10000

I think we'd be a laughing stock if we give up assets for 2-3 months of play. I really hope we are looking at other options heavily. Thomas, Lawson, Jack, Collison...I dunno

What's more disheartening to read is that Morey is still strongly considering trading for Dragic even after the reports that he's not excited about Houston.

Please Morey!

 

He knows what he is doing, I trust his track record at this point. He won't offer more than what he deems appropriate for the situation now that we have star player(s) here.

My guess is that he is offering Beverley, Jones, NYK 2nd.

 

I'm not sold on the Dragic thinking he is a franchise player thing. I believe he doesn't want to play out of position or take a back seat to inferior players but nothing I have ever heard/seen from the guy leads me to believe he would not like the idea of being the second option behind the NBA scoring leader.

I feel like this is all posturing to get the Rockets to give him a max deal. I'm not saying Houston is the only place he wants to go but I doubt we are not on his list either. There really is not better combination of him having a prominent role AND being on a contending team than the Rockets.

 

I am just curious what makes Dragic camp think he is a marquee star who is good enough to carry a team on his own, be "the MAN" and the franchise player , on consistent basis. He is in his prime and, IMO, his prime < Joe Johnson prime. He is also no better than Kyle Lowery and he is not getting any younger.

He is getting paid regardless, kudos to that. Just be careful what you wish for, getting paid as THE MAN and under-performing in NY or LA is not a fun business.

 

There are no other contenders even in the running. I think it is understated how much he would have the ball here. Between running the second unit and surprisingly the amount of stuff we run for Bev (or that Bev just wings himself), Dragic would have the ball quite a bit.

 

If we make it to the Finals, or even the Conference championship, I think Dragic would be a little more excited about Houston.

 

It's called an overinflated ego. His agent is probably feeding this crap to him. Dragic is gonna get paid big money this offseason. I don't think anyone doubts that. But he is not good enough to be the star on any title contending team. Hell, I'd question if he could be the top player on a playoff bound team. Maybe in the East where 35 wins might be enough for a lower seed, but certainly not in the West. If he was, then the Suns wouldn't be on the verge of dropping out of the playoff picture.

 

We have no idea what Dragic wants. The Lakers and Knicks are terrible and have super ball dominant players as their "stars." They are both giant markets, but there are 5 other teams on his list according to Amick. Obviously not all of them are huge markets.

So, does he want to play for a contender? Apparently not. Does he want to be in a glamour market? Apparently not. Does he want to be the star player? Apparently not. So why is he even leaving?

Might as well just wait until Thursday rather than speculate on what amounts to a mountain of contradictions.

 

That depends on what assets it takes, and how realistic the Rockets think that the move would make them a favorite to win it all. If you think you can be favorites to win it all, and it's not going to wreck your future, you still consider it. We'll see what happens.

I hope that the Lakers or Knicks do give him a max contract if he goes there. It's arguable that he is worth it as the last piece on a contender, but there is no way he is worth it on a rebuilding team. He isn't a young and upcoming PG any more. He will be 29 in May. A four year max contract going thru age 33 when he has never been an all star and there is a good chance he never will be. Certainly not in the west. I don't blame him for wanting a max contract, or even wanting to be the primary ball handler. I do think that wanting both those things and going to a team that is likely to be a contender during the life of his next contract seems unlikely. But if the money is enough then so be it. Having never had a max contract, who can blame him for going for that much money? But if he wants to go to a contender, or a team likely to realistically contend in the next 2 years, there aren't any other real choices outside of Houston that need a PG.

 

I don't agree that Morey treated Dragic that way, but it's no secret that Dragic felt slighted. With that said, if what you're saying was accurate - that this is what happens when you treat players like assets - then I'm 100% fine with it. I love where we're at as a franchise. We're a top team with a ton of flexibility to improve.

The Suns are trying to pay their guys (loyalty), keep two pairs of brothers together (loyalty) and it's got them on the outside looking in with a logjam at point guard. The Lakers are loyal to Kobe and it's setting their franchise back 2 years.

I'd rather just win. You think we should sweat losing out on someone like Dragic? We're bigger than him. We're bigger than Melo. And Bosh. We're the Rockets, bro. Everyone hates us now. And I love it.

 

It's pretty apparent Dragic wants to get paid. Thus, he wants to get traded to teams he thinks will give him a max offer.

 

Morey did not go all in on Dragic because at the time he was still trying to land a super star. Harden was still in OKC, and the trade was still not done.

Morey wanted to keep the team relevant, but did not want to give out Player Options because the can hinder future moves. And honestly, who thought that the Harden deal would get done right before the reg season started.

Rockets did what they thought was a good deal. Dragic is a fringe all star, but the NBA has plenty of them. Now on MVP quality players there are 5 to 8 guys in any given year.

 

The only reason Harden handles the ball as much as he does is because nobody else on the team is capable. He HAS to.

With Dragic, Harden wouldn't have to be the de facto point guard. And there is more than enough shots to go around between the two of them.

The idea that Dragic wouldn't want to play with another good guard is silly. He thrived last year playing alongside Bledsoe.