NBA Rumors: Goran Dragic to Sign with Nets After Contract Buyout from Spurs

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, veteran guard Goran Dragic agreed to a deal with the Brooklyn Nets.

The Toronto Raptors traded Dragic to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Young. The Spurs are likely to buy him out of his remaining contract, which was expected to be a short time in San Antonio.

As part of the sign-and-trade for Kyle Lowry, Dragic originally landed with the Raptors. His time with Toronto was thought to be a marriage of convenience, with the team moving him on at a later date.

The 35-year-old averaged 8.0 points and 1.8 assists in five appearances for the Raptors.

The general manager of the Raptors said he had full support of the team and that there was no definite date for Dragic's return.

The trade deadline is when teams make their final improvements.

Sometimes, a marquee name such asBlakeGriffin becomes available, which reignites the debate about whether the rich should be allowed to buy out other people. In reality, the thing that puts a franchise over the top in the championship race is not buyouts.

The Los Angeles Lakers got out of the first round last year, despite the fact that signing Andre Drummond didn't help them.

Nets fans shouldn't expect to get the player who made the All-Star team for Dragic.

The Slovenian was a solid player for the Heat last season, as he averaged 13.4 points and 4.4 assists while shooting 43.0% from the field and 37.3% from beyond the rim. There is a reason why Miami prioritized the addition of Lowry.

The Heat are currently first in the Eastern Conference at 38-21 and have been working out nicely since changing Dragic for Lowry.

For his career, Dragic is averaging twice as many assists as turnovers, and he is a good enough shooter to keep opposing defenses honest.

The Athletic's John Hollinger wrote that Dragic showed some slippage last season, but his pick-and-roll game and off-ball shooting skill should at least qualify him as a solid backup option.

Brooklyn has a lot of depth at this stage of the season, and there weren't many better options to shore up its guard rotation for the stretch run.

The trade of James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons was justified given how much he wanted out. The Nets were not getting a clear picture of when Simmons would be available to play and perform.

Brooklyn now has another ball-handler who can ease the burden on Irving and serve as a stopgap with the uncertainty still hovering over Simmons.