Los Angeles Lakers Rumors: Goran Dragic A Major Target After Telling Suns He Won’t Return
The Los Angeles Lakers are rumored to be very interested in Suns guard Goran Dragic, and his price might be getting a lot more affordable.
The Lakers had reportedly coveted the Phoenix Suns star as part of their rebuilding process, but it appeared that any chance of a deal was getting further and further away. Though the Suns once listened to offers for Dragic, recently they appeared to shift gears and wanted to focus on keeping Dragic.
That seems to have changed. Sources close to the team say Dragic wants out of Phoenix, and has told the team he has no intention to re-sign this summer as a free agent. Even though he averaged 20.3 points, 5.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds last year, Dragic has seen his minutes decrease in favor of free agent pickup Isaiah Thomas.
As USA Today writer Sam Amick noted, this means Goran Dragic is back on the block again.
“With the Thursday trade deadline looming and the clear message now sent that Dragic plans on playing elsewhere next season, it remains to be seen if Suns general manager Ryan McDonough will succumb to the pressure and agree to a deal. The people spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.”
The sources say that Goran Dragic wants the freedom to run his own team, which is something the Los Angeles Lakers can offer him. The Lakers likely have one more season out of Kobe Bryant at most, and Jeremy Lin appears to have fallen out of the team’s good graces and slipped down the depth chart.
That means that Dragic would have the opportunity to take over the team’s backcourt in the coming years. The Lakers also appear committed to building a winning team again, and quickly, so if Dragic does move to Los Angeles, it’s likely he would find a strong supporting cast.
But there could be a problem for the Los Angeles Lakers and the Goran Dragic rumors. Sources say he wants to go to a playoff contender, and the with the Lakers solidly in the basement of the Western Conference, they are quite far from that.
