From the moment they traded for him, the Heat expected to re-sign Goran Dragic.
Dragic stated and restated a hope to stay in Miami.
But this was always going to be the first step.
Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders:
Goran Dragic has declined his player option with the Miami Heat, expected but now actual @BBallInsiders
— Eric Pincus (@EricPincus) June 22, 2015
Whether it’s $80 million over five years, the projected max of $109 million he could get re-signing with Miami or the projected max of $81 million he could get elsewhere, Dragic will make more than his $7.5 million player option next season. Plus, he’ll secure a long-term deal, which should be important to the 29-year-old.
The Heat face a challenging summer. Dwyane Wade isn’t making it easy on them, and Luol Deng can opt out, too. Miami must also leave room in 2016 to re-sign Hassan Whiteside. And the Heat probably want to limit their luxury-tax bill this season.
It’s a narrow rope to to walk.
The Heat surely wanted to keep Dragic – as they should – but by opting out, he puts pressure on them. Of course, they knew this was coming.
