NBA Rumors: Goran Dragic Would Be ‘Perfect Fit’ With Ben Simmons And Joel Embiid In Philadelphia
The Philadelphia 76ers may have gone through plenty of ups and downs this year, but no matter what the outcome of the 2019-20 NBA season will be, they are still aren’t expected to break the young superstar duo of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Instead of immediately giving up on the pair, the Sixers are likely to be aggressive on the market, searching for quality players that complement their franchise cornerstones. In the past months, the Sixers have already been linked to several players who are expected to be available on the trade and free agency market in the 2020 offseason, including veteran point guard Goran Dragic of the Miami Heat.
Dragic is currently on the final year of his contract with the Heat and is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2019-20 season. According to Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report, the Slovenian guard would be the perfect free-agent target for the Sixers this fall. Though he’s already on the wrong side of 30, Swartz believes that Dragic would be a “perfect fit” alongside Simmons and Embiid in Philadelphia.
“Dragic could be the primary ball-handler in pick-and-rolls with Simmons, allowing the 6’10” guard to use his size and athleticism to get to the basket and finish at the rim. Joel Embiid could use another quality point guard to get him the ball in his spots when Simmons sits. The 26-year-old All-Star is shooting just 27.5 percent off passes delivered by [Raul] Neto. In a locker room that could use more veterans, Dragic would solve the backup point guard problem while helping unlock Simmon’s [sic] complete offensive game.”
The main purpose of bringing Dragic to the City of Brotherly Love is to solve the Sixers’ major backcourt problem in their second unit. Signing him as a free agent would give the Sixers a very reliable primary backup point guard who would be tasked to run the floor when Simmons needs to rest or suffer an injury.
If Sixers head coach Brett Brown pushes forward with his plan to expand Simmons’ role with the team and tries using him off the ball more frequently, he could also use Dragic as their starting point guard. He may already be on the downside of his NBA career, but when he is healthy and given enough playing time, he could still produce at a high level on both ends of the floor. The potential arrival of Dragic in Philadelphia wouldn’t make the Sixers the No. 1 favorite to bring home the Larry O’Brien Trophy next season, but it could help them maximize the full on-court potential of their two best players, Embiid and Simmons.
