Free agency may play role in Dragic's return to Heat in Finals

Point guard Goran Dragic suffered a torn plantar fascia in his left foot in the Miami Heat's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the Finals, and his impending free agency could play a role in his return, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Dragic, 34, suffered the injury in the second quarter of the 116-98 blowout defeat. He leads the Heat in playoff scoring average at 20.9 points.

Game 2 is Friday night and per Winderman, the Heat are "considering options" with Dragic moving forward. Winderman added that cortisone injections could lead to Dragic's return.

But there is also the issue of free agency. Doran's contract expires after the season and will be an unrestricted free agent once the NBA market opens, likely in November.

“Be ready to go with or without Goran,” Heat star Jimmy Butler told reporters. "We’re still expecting to win. We still know that we can. Like I said earlier, we want that guy out there with us. He’s a big part of what we’re trying to do, but until we can have him back, we got to go out there and we got to fight even harder."

The Heat blew 13-point lead in the first quarter as the Lakers went on a massive 75-30 run to turn the game into a rout. Dragic finished with six points and three assists in 15 minutes.