The Houston Rockets want Phoenix Suns guard Goran Dragic, but he reportedly doesn't feel the same way. Reports indicate Dragic wouldn't re-sign with Houston after the season and would rather be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, the New York Knicks or the Miami Heat.
Dragic reportedly informed Phoenix on Tuesday he wouldn't re-sign with them after the season, when he's eligible to become a free agent. Phoenix must now trade him before Thursday's 3 p.m. (ET) deadline or lose him for nothing in free agency. Dragic's player option in his contract essentially gives him some say in where he's traded to, and Yahoo Sports and ESPN both reported his agent has given Phoenix a list of preferred destinations.
Unfortunately for Rockets fans, Houston isn't on it.
"ESPN sources say Rockets - for all their well-known interest in Dragic - are NOT a team likely to secure long-term commitment from the (guard)," ESPN' Marc Stein tweeted Tuesday night. "... Dragic, I'm told, prefers Lakers and other situations to Houston, which means Rockets would be risking lots to surrender assets for him now."
There's no question Houston wants to trade for Dragic, but it looks like it will come down to how Rockets general manager Daryl Morey feels about giving up significant assets for a player who might be just a one-year rental. It's possible Morey is OK with renting Dragic for the season to make a title run, and according to Stein, Houston still hasn't given up on acquiring Dragic despite being left off his list of preferred teams.
That list, according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, includes the Lakers, the Knicks and the Heat.
If Houston does continue their pursuit of Dragic, they have one advantage over any of the three aforementioned teams: better assets.
