Los Angeles Lakers potential trade target: Goran Dragic (in a sign and trade)
Now, this would take some savvy managing from Rob Pelinka and Pat Riley but this is absolutely something that would not only benefit both parties involved but would benefit Goran Dragic as well.
Goran Dragic would be the perfect player to be the third-best player on the Los Angeles Lakers moving forward. He is an experienced, former all-star guard who can facilitate when needed but does not need the ball and can be a solid off-ball scorer.
Dragic is 34 years old and he is not going to get any big contract offers and the contending teams that might be interested do not have much cap space, like the Lakers. Instead of using the mid-level exception on Dragic, the Lakers could implement a sign-and-trade and still be able to use the MLE elsewhere.
Here would be the trade: Dragic agrees to a two/three-year deal with the Miami Heat and in return, the Los Angeles Lakers would trade Kyle Kuzma, Quinn Cook and Rajon Rondo, who would opt-in to his player option and agree to this trade as he would land on a contending team with the Miami Heat.
He and Jimmy Butler do not have a great past but bygones will be bygones.
This would allow Dragic to sign a contract in the $6-9 million range, which is what he is worth at this stage of his career anyway, and would give the Lakers a valuable trade return for Kuzma.
The Miami Heat are going to be really thin in forward depth after this season with so many unrestricted free agents and Kuzma presents some depth that they could lockdown long-term. Win-win-win.