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The Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets haven’t been quiet about their interest in landing star Phoenix Suns point guard, Goran Dragic. The Suns don’t seem to be too quiet about their lack of interest in letting him go, however. Per reports, the Suns feel more inclined to do what it takes to keep Dragic in town, rather than see what they can get in return for him.
Phoenix is definitely dancing on a fine line with the trade deadline looming, as Dragic can opt out of his current deal and leave as a free agent this summer. Should that happen, the Suns would lose the player that arguably is their “face of the franchise” for literally nothing. If that’s to be avoided, the Suns would probably have to show Dragic that they’re “for real”. Part of that process is naturally paying him the cash he deserves, while also changing the current format of the team. One huge part of that could mean unloading fellow lead guard Isaiah Thomas, who they just brought on last summer via a big contract.
Thomas has only been operating off the bench and doesn’t even average 30 minutes per game, but he’s yet another ball-dominant guard, one of three in Phoenix’s deadly and talented three-pack of point guards – along with Eric Bledsoe. Bledsoe has already been firmly established as a key cornerstone for the future, leaving the Suns to decide between Thomas or Dragic moving forward. Early signs point to Thomas being the odd man out.
Again, there is risk involved, as the Suns would have to opt to trade Thomas away within the next week (the 2015 NBA trade deadline is next Thursday) and bet the farm that Drafic either doesn’t opt out of his current deal, or opts out and agrees to a new long-term deal with the Suns. That could have Isaiah Thomas looking at any number of destinations, while the Suns also try to rebuild their former balance across their roster at the same time.
If the Suns can keep Dragic and add some size via the loss of Thomas in the process, they’ll be getting a lot better heading into next season. That should naturally mean a more balanced squad heading into the stretch run, and could make the Suns a tougher out on a nightly basis, as well as a legit playoff contender. If things go the opposite way and Dragic jets, they’ll have swung and missed in the worst way and a team on the brink of the playoffs could begin to crumble back down to mediocrity.
