Fifteen minutes before the NBA trade deadline, Goran Dragic finally gothis wish.
The Phoenix Suns have reportedly traded the unhappy point guardto the Miami Heat in exchange for package of two first-round picks and several players.
The deal is a big win for the Heat, who were previously struggling to stay in the playoff picture. Adding Dragic does several things for them. First, it gives them a clear and massive upgrade at the point-guard position. Dragic is an All-Star level player who can carry an offense on his shoulders while both scoring and distributing, an attribute Miami has sorely lacked since LeBron's departure (although, clearly, Dragic isn't on LeBron's level).
Second, the Heat are able to take some pressure of Dwyane Wade to be healthy and perform for the rest of the season. Dragic can attack the rim and score around the basket, creating opportunities for others while collapsing the defense. If Wade needs to rest his legs, which is likely given his age and the miles on his odometer, Dragic can pick up the slack.
Meanwhile, the Heat still have Chris Bosh and the surging Hassan Whiteside on their squad as the playoffs approach. Thatwon't be enough to vault them back into the title conversation, but it probably makes them a team that top seedsare not looking forward to facing in the first round.
Phoenix, meanwhile, got what it hoped for in exchange for Dragic -- a pair of first-round draft picks. The other players in the deal aren't particularly important to the Suns -- they simply wanted the picks, and they got them from a Miami squad that desperately wanted to secure Dragic's Bird Rights this summer.
The Heat are the big winners here. They acquired an All-Star who pairs nicely with their other All-Stars, and they now have the rights to sign him to a big contract. Phoenix did what it could, given their predicament, but acquiring value for a player who made it very clear he wanted to leave was always going to be an uphill battle.
Source: http://www.masslive.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/02/goran_dragic_trade_guard_trade.html
