Lakers: Why Goran Dragic Chose Brooklyn Over Los Angeles

Dragic had the opportunity to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers, but ultimately went with the Nets. And he had a pretty good reason for doing so.

You can add Goran Dragic to the long list of names that the Lakers have missed out on this year. After being bought out by the Spurs following his trade from Toronto, Los Angeles was one of the three biggest teams looking to sign him to a deal. 

The Lakers have a need and he could have played a very large role out west. Many would argue that signing with LA would've been his best shot at having a very large role. Instead, Dragic went with the Brooklyn Nets in his decision. 

And it turns out that Dragic actually had a pretty good reason for accepting a smaller role. Not only do the Nets provide him with a real opportunity to win a title, which the Lakers don't. But according to NBA insider Marc Stein, Dragic wanted to play for Head Coach Steve Nash. 

The two have a friendship that dates back to Dragic's days in Phoenix when he first broke into the NBA. Nash and Dragic played together from 2008 to 2011 with the Suns. 

"Nash registered key aspects of the Nets' bid to Dragic on Friday as Brooklyn also maintains hope that Kyrie Irving will be more available for the stretch run if the vaccine mandate that has ruled him out of home games all season is finally lifted in New York City."

And despite the fact that Dragic could have played a larger role with the Lakers, why come out to LA? The team is all over the place in terms of their short-term and long-term goals, and LeBron James can't stop passive-aggressively taking shots at the front office. 

It's no wonder that the Lakers can't seem to attract any big names on the buy-out market right now.