How Goran Dragic Blew Up The NBA and Ruined The Lakers Dream

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I don’t trust them anymore.

In 2012, Goran Dragic replaced Steve Nash as the face of the Phoenix Suns organization. Returning to the team that drafted him in 2008, Dragic had big shoes to fill replacing Nash who was his mentor. But, confidence had never been an issue for the 26-year old Slovenian. In July of 2012, Dragic signed a four year deal with an opt-out after year three.

It was a happy marriage for two years before the Suns eventually succumbed to temptation. In the 2014 draft, the Suns drafted point guard Tyler Ennis with the 18th pick. Two weeks later, the Suns signed point guard Isaiah Thomas to a $27 million dollar deal. Two months after that, the Suns signed point guard Eric Bledsoe to a $70 million dollar deal, creating a crowded backcourt of guards that didn’t really make much sense since they all played the same position. Almost always, Dragic was the one asked to play shooting guard. It left him highly frustrated.

Jan 21, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Goran Dragic reacts after suffering an injury in the second quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers at US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

With his opt-out a few months away, and the trade deadline hovering, over the weekend, Dragic began thinking about his future in Phoenix. The Suns, despite the talent of their four guards, were not a particularly good team. They had lost 7 out of their last 10 games. They were ranked 28th in defense and 21st in assists, tied with the Lakers. They were barely holding off Oklahoma City with the 8th seed.

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So Dragic thought about being in Phoenix. If he was unhappy, now was the time to move. This was his opt-out year.

But, it was more complicated than it seemed. Phoenix had drafted Dragic in the second round. They believed in him as someone to take over after Steve Nash left and the Suns agreeably let him run the team for two years.

But, the organization changed their philosophy when they hired Jeff Hornacek as coach, employing an entertaining point guard offense, something that sounded unique on paper. Yet, the hidden secret was that one of the point guards was going to have to be the off-guard and stand in the corner while the point guard ran the show. It was a sacrifice that fell upon Dragic’s shoulders. He hated it.

On Tuesday, Dragic’s agent informed the Suns he wasn’t going to sign an extension come summer. Bill Duffy then gave the stunned front office a list of teams Dragic would sign with. The Lakers, Knicks and Heat. The Lakers and Knicks had no assets at all so it was a deal tailor made for the Heat. Nevertheless, Robert Sarver, Suns owner, was livid at the turn of events. He felt blindsided and betrayed and tried to package Dragic off to the Sacramento Kings.

It was a perfect Lakers scenario. In Sacramento, Dragic would be a rental. He wouldn’t stay and the Lakers could sign him during the summer.

But, after practice on Wednesday, Dragic upped the ante. He said of the Suns front office, “I don’t trust them anymore.” It sent shockwaves through the NBA. Goran Dragic had crossed the line of no-return. He humiliated the Suns front office publicly. He had to get out of there.

It is every front office’s worst fear: the nuclear option whereas the team gets blown up. Dragic took the first step and it sparked a copycat. Reggie Jackson asked for a trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Things had been going downhill for Jackson ever since the Thunder completed the Dion Waiters deal. Jackson’s minutes were suddenly descending. Jackson, a restricted free agent in the summer, didn’t see a future for him on the Thunder. Like Dragic, he no longer trusted the Thunder front office.

Suddenly phones starting ringing and scenarios involving draft picks and trade exceptions and expiring contracts began flying around. The Wizards wanted to move Andre Miller, skeptical of his defense in the playoffs. The Wizards sent him to Sacramento and picked up Ramon Sessions.

Miami came in with a staggering offer for Dragic: two first round picks. No one could match it, certainly not the ultra-thin Lakers. Because the Lakers were not going to give up Jordan Clarkson or their protected pick, they were left on the sidelines, cut out of the frenzy as point guard after point guard changed teams. All the Lakers could do was watch teams get better as they stayed worse, as their summer point guard hopes were reduced to ashes.

The Pistons, needing a point guard to replace injured Brandon Jennings (Achilles), made a play for Reggie Jackson. Boston took Isaiah Thomas off of the Suns hands- their four point guard lineup was a failure now, might as well throw in the towel. The Suns grabbed point guard Brandon Knight, a restricted free agent who fits their system, more than comfortable in shooting guard sets so no conflict there anymore. The 76ers, always worried about winning too many games, sent their best player, Michael Carter-Williams ,to Jason Kidd and Milwaukee.

And so teams added players and subtracted players and set things in motion, all because Goran Dragic became a firestarter. He lit a fuse. He drew a line in the sand and then set fire to it. It got teams moving, changing cards, shuffling decks. It reinforced a truth.

In this era of the NBA you need assets to make deals; poverty gets nothing done. In order to get rich, you have to be the middle class. You can’t have crumbs. Marginal talent only means you have a team of players you cannot trade because no one wants them. It guts your power which is its own lesson to the Lakers who had to sit this one out.

Next: Steve Nash: The Most Expensive Tutor In The World