The Golden State Warriors have been conservative on the buyout market and it seems one of their top targets, Goran Dragic, has elected to sign elsewhere.
Dragic, a former All-Star and All-NBA player, has made the decision to join Ben Simmons, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant in Brooklyn — making the stage for a potential NBA Finals match with the Warriors all the more interesting.
The Golden State Warriors ultimately did not claim Goran Dragic on the buyout market as the veteran opts to join the Brooklyn Nets.
Golden State became interested in Dragic due to their lack of a true playmaker in the second unit. While Jordan Poole has been everything they could have hoped for in his role as a shot creator, the value of a crafty passer like Dragic was still worth adding.
The main issue here was finding someone to replace. With 15 active players on the roster, the Dubs decided against cutting one of their current players in order to seriously pursue Dragic.
Furthermore, it seems Dragic already had made his mind up on the matter, according to this tweet from Cleveland’s Chris Fedor:
Over the last week or so I asked about Goran Dragic being a possibility for #Cavs and I kept getting the same answer: “He’s already got a team lined up”
— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) February 21, 2022
Now, the 35-year-old guard is making his way to Brooklyn where he can help bring depth to one of the scariest teams in the league.
Sure, the Nets are currently eighth in the Eastern Conference due to a whacky first half of the season. But, with Simmons making his debut, Durant’s return on the horizon and a couple of solid depth pieces in Dragic, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, Patty Mills, Blake Griffin and Joe Harris — the Nets are shaping up to be one hell of a wild card.
Perhaps the biggest impact of this signing will be how Dragic can fill in for Irving, who is unable to play in home games due to his vaccination status. The implementation of Dragic, along with Mills and Curry, should be enough to help Brooklyn claw back into the standings.
The NBA is jam-packed with elite teams that can contend for the title. Dragic’s decision to join the Nets makes them a bit more threatening to the Warriors, who are expected to make a deep playoff push.