The Phoenix Suns appear unlikely to trade guard Goran Dragic, but that doesn't mean he will be back in Phoenix next season. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders believes Dragic will seek a big payday in the summer as a free agent, which could put him in another team uniform.
Dragic has a player option for next season. He's already indicated he would use it and become a free agent in July, when he could then re-sign with Phoenix for more money. This, though, was before Phoenix signed Bledsoe to a new contract. Dragic's future with the Suns beyond this season now is more uncertain.
"Extension is possible, but I think it's far more likely he's an unrestricted free agent next year and goes shopping for a monster payday," Kyler wrote Monday. "If Kyle Lowry gets $12 million a year, then Goran should get something close to that. I don't think the Suns trade him unless he falls off, or their other guys really start to out play him. They have a ton of point guards."
Phoenix's stable of guards - Bledsoe, Isaiah Thomas and Tyler Ennis - makes it unlikely the team will give him the big payday he wants. Given Lowry and Bledsoe's recent deals, Dragic shouldn't have a problem demanding a contract in the $11-12 million dollar range.
Teams interested in him might include the Los Angeles Lakers, the Houston Rockets and possibly the New York Knicks, all of who need stability at the 1-guard spot and will have cap space to pay him in free agency.
He averaged 20.3 points, 5.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game last season for the Suns, and behind Boston Celtics star Rajon Rondo, would be the best available point guard on the market come July.
