The Brooklyn Nets are signing veteran point guard Goran Dragic.
There was one big name on the buyout market — Goran Dragic. After taking time to weigh his offers, the Slovenian is coming to the Brooklyn Nets. Jevon Carter is the roster crunch casualty of this buyout signing.
Just in: Goran Dragic is signing with the Brooklyn Nets, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 21, 2022
The Nets are waiving guard Jevon Carter to clear a roster spot for Goran Dragic, sources tell ESPN. Dragic's agent Bill Duffy tells ESPN that Dragic's deal will be for the rest of the season.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 21, 2022
Dragic, 35, is in his 14th year in the NBA and is choosing Brooklyn after receiving reported interest from the Bucks, Bulls, Warriors, Clippers, and Lakers. The point guard was bought out of his contract after a trade-deadline deal sent him from the Raptors to the Spurs.
What does signing Goran Dragic mean for the Nets?
There is no secret as to why so many contenders were interested in Dragic’s services. He’s only played in five games for the Raptors this year, but that’s irrelevant. Dragic is a battle-tested, playoff-proven veteran who knows what it takes to win.
He was an All-Star in 2018 and an integral piece in Miami’s run to the NBA Finals in 2020. Again, his lack of reps this season wasn’t going to scare many teams away.
For Brooklyn specifically, Dragic addresses a unique personnel issue. The Nets have a starting point guard for road games — Kyrie Irving.
However, head coach Steve Nash was forced to move Patty Mills into the starting lineup at Barclays due to Irving’s COVID vaccination status.
The addition of Dragic gives Nash a starting point guard for home games, allowing for Mills to slide back into a sixth-man role that suits him like an Armani. What Nash does with Dragic on the road isn’t as important. The shifty Slovenian has experience as a starter or off the bench.
It’s almost a sure thing that Dragic and the Nets are on the same page as to what his role is going to be. However Nash decides to use him, Dragic is going to have a significant role on this team.
Dragic thrives in the playoffs. Don’t believe me? Who could forget his heroics in the 2010 playoffs? Mind you, this was a much younger Dragic who was backing up Nash at the time.
That was a younger Dragic, but he can still kick it into high gear, even if there is a little less tread on the tires.
During the Heat’s 2020 run to the NBA Finals in the bubble, Dragic averaged 20.9 points and 4.7 rebounds. Unfortunately, an injury in the Finals limited him. After Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, he was Miami’s most important player in those playoffs.
The Nets are making one thing clear — it’s championship or bust. The James Harden-Ben Simmons trade and the signing of Goran Dragic are proof positive of that.
