If the Miami Heat do wind up trading Goran Dragic this season, he might not have to move very far.
According to a report by Zach Lowe of ESPN on Friday, the Orlando Magic have expressed interest in trading for the Slovenian point guard.
Dragic, 30, is having his best season since his 2013-14 Most Improved Player campaign with averages of 19.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game. He is in Year 2 of a five-year, $85 million contract.
We know that trading Dragic away before the February 23 deadline is a very real possibility for the 11-29 Heat. They need affordable young assets and probably won’t stand to benefit much by keeping Dragic around as a primary cog as he begins to lose speed and athleticism in his 30s.
As for Orlando, they’re an intriguing potential trade partner. They don’t seem to be sold on Elfrid Payton as their point guard of the future and have some scorers and defenders that they’re struggling to find either consistent minutes or the proper role for (Mario Hezonja and Aaron Gordon, in particular, might be of interest to Miami). The Magic also have their 2017 first-rounder (which is all but certain to fall in the lottery) to potentially include in trade talks.
Urgency will continue to build as the losses pile up for the injury-ravaged Heat, so perhaps flipping Dragic in a mutually beneficial intrastate deal is something that they should seriously begin to consider.
