The Phoenix Suns entered the 2014-15 season with great optimism, but their three-point guard experiment hasn't worked as well as they'd hoped. Now Goran Dragic, the star of last season's run-and-gun Suns, has requested a trade and the team is obliging by exploring deals.
Suns informed Goran Dragic tonight that they'll accept his request for trade and work to move him by deadline, league source tells RealGM.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 18, 2015
This offseason the Suns bestowed a five-year, $70 million deal on Eric Bledsoe and brought scoring point guard Isaiah Thomas on board, shifting Dragic to mostly off-the-ball duties. Dragic hasn't taken to the new role, and seen his scoring and assist numbers dip.
As Phoenix clings to a half-game lead on the Oklahoma City Thunder for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoff race, they will now be focusing on trading away an All-Star caliber player. There was chatter about the Suns dealing away Thomas to placate Dragic, but the latter's agent has already informed the team that Dragic will not be re-signing this offseason no matter what.
The Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers have been named as suitors, but Dragic, who has played for the Rockets already in his career, does not appear interested in signing with them long-term.
The teams that do reportedly interest Dragic are the Lakers, New York Knicks and Miami Heat. Those three are point guard-needy clubs with lots of cap space. Unfortunately for Phoenix, those clubs are struggling mightily this season and are short on appealing assets to deal for a player who was named to last season's All-NBA third team.
Even though his production is down this season, Dragic is still averaging 16.2 points and 4.1 assists on 50 percent shooting from the field. He will be seeking a max contract this offseason or something close to it.
[ESPN]
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