For most upcoming NBA free agents, now is not the time to ponder on what comes next. There are a lot of players who are set to become free agents in the offseason, a period that is now clearly undefined. The NBA is currently on a 30-day hiatus and that lull is likely to become longer.
The Center for Disease Control and Protection recommended all in-person events involving 50 or more to be called off for the next eight weeks, meaning the NBA could be left hanging for twice the current suspension period, the Associated Press reported. As of this writing, there is no telling what the next steps are for the NBA although league commissioner Adam Silver did mention recently that there is a possibility that the whole season could be called off.
That said, such a scenario complicates things on the future of upcoming free agents. One of them is Goran Dragic of the Miami Heat. Ironically, the Slovenian was one of the mentioned names as likely to be traded before the 2019-20 season started. Dragic was one of several players receiving hefty salaries but performed below par. He was the only one left from the mix that included Hassan Whiteside, James Johnson and Dion Waiters that were on the block. It appears he did just enough to earn another deal although it may be a short term pact.
Dragic exercised his player option for this NBA season and will earn $19.7 million. The 33-year-old has played in 54 games, averaging 16.1 points, 5.1 assists and 3.1 rebounds per Basketball-Reference.com. These are notable jumps in his career-high numbers although expected. The fact that he is due to hit the free-agent market meant he needed to show teams that he still had what it takes to play NBA basketball.
When he spoke to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Dragic found it premature to discuss a possible one-year deal to return to Miami. He prefers to focus on his current deal and worry about his next contract later on. However, he did say that there would be several factors he would consider as far as his next contract is concerned.
“A lot of different factors, my family, myself. I would say it’s too soon to talk about it. I’m not thinking about my next contract. I’ve always been a guy in the present,” Dragic said.
A one-year deal may not cut it and it will be interesting if the Heat would be open to offering him a multi-year deal. At his age, it is understandable that he wants a longer lease -possibly the last one in his NBA run.
