It was the December of break-ups — or at least potential break-ups.
The trade whispers began to swirl earlier than usual this year, and it all seemed like a bunch of hoopla until Danny Ainge decided to take that leap of faith and deal Rajon Rondo to the Dallas Mavericks. What did the Boston Celtics get in return? Jameer Nelson, Jae Crowder, Brandan Wright and a couple of draft picks.
That’s the cost of having your back against the wall and knowing you have to strike while the iron is luke warm. Rondo would have left in free agency anyway and teams knew that — hence the mondo Rondo discount.
Other guys like Lance Stephenson and Jeff Green have been mentioned as potential candidates to be dealt, but there hasn’t been any traction on those guys yet.
Now the red dots have convened on Goran Dragic. The seven year veteran has a player option next year for $7.5 million, but with him up to his usual tricks with 16 points and 4.1 assists a game — along with about $21 million owed to Isaiah Thomas and Eric Bledsoe over the the next five years — there’s no glaring need for “Magic Dragic” to opt in.
Enter the rumors about a potential trade looming.
He’s a professional, so he’s going to “Jay-Z” the rumors and brush them off his shoulder.
But hey, I’m a fun-loving guy. Let’s talk potential suitors for the 28-year-old point guard.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers offered Steve Nash and some draft picks to Boston for Rondo. Maybe it makes sense to offer the same thing to Phoenix. Nash has a chance to end his career with the team he started with, Phoenix gets a couple of draft picks and Dragic can work out a big-time extension with the Lakers.
New York Knicks
I mean, what don’t they need? The one thing I’ll say is Phil Jackson is no dummy. He knows the value of draft picks right now, and I can’t see them teeing up the Knicks’ first-round pick in this upcoming draft for Dragic — not with Emmanuel Mudiay, Jahlil Okafor and Karl Towns Jr. on the board. But maybe they can work out a deal for a future first-round pick and a few players — maybe J.R. Smith — that can benefit both teams. New York, like the Lakers, will have a lot of cap room to offer an extension to Dragic.
Charlotte Hornets
I’m not quite sure how possible this is, but it makes sense to me. Dragic for Stephenson and a second round pick would help both teams. Stephenson could play Brooklyn ball under Jeff Hornacek, and Dragic would fit very well with Kemba Walker in the Hornets’ backcourt.
Sacramento Kings
Darren Collison has played better than I thought he would so far this season, but let’s be real, Dragic is a clear upgrade. The Kings are 11-15 and looking for a new head coach. Maybe Mark Jackson or George Karl take the reins, but one thing is for sure, adding “The Dragon” would help them push for a playoff spot in the gauntlet that is the Western Conference.
Phoenix is 14-4 and might actually make the playoffs, but we saw them win 48 games last year and watch the playoffs from home. It make sense for them to deal Dragic while his stock is high. What happens if this year is déjà vu for the Suns? They could risk losing Dragic for nothing and not have the advantage of showcasing him in the playoffs.
