Goran Dragic has agreed to a five-year, $90 million deal to stay with the Miami Heat, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein. That is just below a maximum contract for Dragic. He will have a player option after the fourth year.
Goran Dragic agrees to 5-year, $90 million deal to stay with Heat
Dragic will indeed remain with the club that traded multiple first-round picks to acquire him in February.
Dragic was eligible to receive a maximum of 30 percent of the salary cap in his first year, which would come out to around $110 million over five seasons. Instead, he’ll take a slight discount, perhaps to help Miami re-sign Dwyane Wade to a comfortable number. Wade opted out after Miami asked him to take less multiple times and is a threat to go elsewhere, but having Dragic in the fold at less than the maximum may convince Wade to return.
Regardless, the Heat are now expected to pay a hefty luxury tax bill if Wade returns, thanks to the large contracts of Chris Bosh, Dragic and Luol Deng.
Dragic has been planning for his free agency since last February, when he asked the Phoenix Suns to trade him to either the Knicks, Lakers or Heat. Pat Riley ended up making the move and Dragic played out the season’s final three months in Miami. Dragic had a player option he could have exercised, which would have allowed him to play one more season with Miami under his current contract. Instead he elected to opt out so that he could sign a larger long-term deal this summer.
After being named the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2014, Dragic saw his numbers fall last season following the Phoenix Suns’ addition of point guard Isaiah Thomas. Dragic was on the floor for a similar amount of minutes, but was never happy or comfortable with the situation. Dragic’s scoring output fell from 20 to 16, though his field goal percentage remained right around 50 percent. Dragic seemed happier in Miami, but he was unable to lead the Heat to the playoffs. Part of that was due to a back injury that kept him out of a few games.
Still, Dragic is the best point guard the Heat have had since Tim Hardaway and re-signing him was a must. He gives them insurance in case Dwayne Wade leaves, or goes down. At this point in their careers, Dragic might actually be the better shot creator. He’s a relentless attacker and an adept finisher at the rim. Few players drive to the basket more than Dragic, and he converted on an incredible 55 percent of those drives, according to the NBA.com player tracking data.
With Dragic, 29, now signed, the Heat have a point guard in his prime who they can build a team around. In the lowly East, he also makes them an immediate playoff contender.
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