Why Missing Out On Goran Dragic Was A Good Thing

After sitting back and watching the All-star game with little to cheer for, Laker fans just experienced the same thing with the trade deadline. Upwards of 37 players were involved in trades on the day of the deadline, the most in NBA history. The Lakers have been in the middle of trade rumors for the last month or so, with player such as Ed Davis, Jordan Hill, and Jeremy Lin being mentioned in a lot of the trade buzz.

Goran Dragic had been on the Lakers 2015 free agency radar for quite some time, as his contract expires at the end of this season. But the Lakers decided they were going to make a push to acquire Dragic a few months earlier and hopefully lock him up long term. To nobody’s surprise, the Lakers missed out on Dragic due to their lack of assets. With the Suns (and now 76ers) already owning the Lakers 2015 first round pick (top five protected), the Houston Rockets 2015 pick and possibly Jordan Hill was the best offer the Lakers could make for last year’s All-NBA third team selection.

For those Lakers fans that are impatient about losing, failing to land Dragic may seem devastating. I can assure all of you, this is nothing to be sad about.

Dragic turns 29 in May, and there is little chance that he will improve. Not saying that he isn’t very good at this point in his career, but Dragic probably has another year or two left in his prime, and for a rebuilding team like the Lakers, he offers little to the future. Miami is a perfect place for Dragic because they are a team focused on the present, with players such as Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Hassan Whiteside. Acquiring Dragic may have put their future in jeopardy, but there is no doubt that Pat Riley has put together another team capable of winning the Eastern Conference.

The Lakers situation however is a little different. A team featuring Wayne Ellington and Robert Sacre in its starting lineup is years away from title contention, and landing Goran Dragic would do little to help their future. In fact, it would probably do the opposite.

For starters, I previously mentioned that Dragic will soon turn 29, and giving him a four year deal this summer would be a horrible start to the much anticipated summers of 2015 and 2016. Dragic is most likely seeking something close to a max contract. For somebody who is not even top ten in his position (Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving, Kyle Lowry, John Wall, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Jeff Teague, Mike Conely) and is approaching the wrong end of 30, a max contract sounds ridiculous.

This money would be a waste considering other free agents that the Lakers plan on targeting (cough, cough Kevin Durant).

With all of this being said, it still gets worse. Dragic is a good player, and a good player equals winning games.

This has been a long season, but trust me, once you see a player like Karl-Anthony Towns in a Lakers jersey it will all be worth it. The top of this year’s draft is possibly even better than last year’s so-called “legendary” draft class. Dragic running the offense could have been what pushed the Lakers out of the bottom five, and that would be the real disaster. Their is no doubt that with Dragic the Lakers would have dropped behind the Magic for fifth on the tank rank, and it is very possible that they could have dropped behind the Nuggets, Jazz, and Celtics.

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Losing that first round pick would really be the nail in the coffin to the failure that is Jim Buss. Julius Randle going down seemed like rock bottom, but this would just take it to a whole other level.

Assuming that Dragic’s new contract will be around four years, $80 million, the Lakers available cap space for the summer of 2015 would go from roughly $30 million to only $15 million, and that’s not including Jordan Hill‘s team option at $9 million. To put this into perspective, $30 million dollars could afford both Mike Conley and Marc Gasol on their current contracts.

Need one more reason why Dragic would ruin the Lakers future? D’Angelo Russell and Emmaunuel Mudiay. I previously mentioned Towns, but if the Lakers end up with the fourth overall pick, there is no doubt that one of these two elite guards will be right up there on the Lakers draft boards. Although Russell is considered by some a shooting guard, he is definitely ball dominant. Having another ball dominant player such as Dragic could only stunt the growth of a young guard.

For example, the Celtics traded Rajon Rondo, because they wanted to give rookie Marcus Smart an opportunity to develop as a play-maker. Having Smart watch Rondo handle the ball would do little to fully reach his potential, as Mudiay/Russell with Dragic would do the same. Especially with Mudiay, as his jumpshot as of right now is a bit suspect. Some say Dragic can play shooting guard, but that would create defensive mismatches all over the place.

So to put this all together, the worse case scenario of getting Dragic would be: losing the 2015 first round draft pick, giving the 29 year old a max contract, not having enough money to sign a young star, another five years of not making the playoffs.

Dragic is in Miami, and I can assure you that he won’t be wearing a Los Angeles Lakers jersey anytime soon. Just take a deep breath, and watch some D’Angelo Russell highlights.

Next: Why Lakers Standing Pat At Trade Deadline Was Right Move