'He's My Guy': Luka Doncic Hinting Goran Dragic Message to Mavs Bosses?
Ever since the Miami Heat included Goran Dragic in the sign-and-trade deal to land Kyle Lowry in the offseason, there has been speculation about Dragic ultimately finding his way to the Dallas Mavericks to play with Luka Doncic, but things have changed.
With the decision by the Mavericks to deploy Jalen Brunson in the starting backcourt alongside Luka Doncic, there was a growing need for a capable guard to be a leader for the bench unit. The idea was for Dragic to ultimately fill that void.
The Mavericks were still expected to be the landing spot for Dragic after he was traded by the Toronto Raptors to the San Antonio Spurs where he received his long anticipated contract buyout.
There was a significant shift in the outlook of Dragic landing with the Mavericks following the trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Washington Wizards. In return, Dallas received Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans—bringing in a sixth-man option in the backcourt.
With Dinwiddie standing at 6-foot-5, he's already shown to be able to play multiple positions. The Mavericks even deployed a three-guard lineup with him next to Brunson and Doncic in his debut with the team against the Miami Heat to serve as a counter to their blitzing scheme.
Would the Mavericks have much for a role to provide Dragic if he were to sign? Theoretically, Doncic could spend more time at the three spot, but someone would lose minutes. Putting the details aside, would Doncic still want the Mavericks to sign Dragic?
“He’s my guy,” Doncic told Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News. “Everybody would want their guys on their team, so we’ll see.”
When evaluating how the Mavericks could adjust their rotation, some of the top candidates to see reduced minutes appear to be Josh Green or Bertans. Reggie Bullock and Dorian Finney-Smith have played too key of roles as '3-and-D' wings and can play multiple positions. While Green and Bertans have their strengths, there are also real limitations.
Something to take into consideration, Mavericks president of basketball operations and general manager Nico Harrison has already addressed the possibility of making a buyout signing. He stated the team would not feel comfortable releasing one of their players to make a signings.
“We think we know who all is going to get bought out," Harrison told Dalton Trigg on the Mavs Step Back Podcast.“But at the end of the day, we have 15 roster spots already filled, and for us to bring someone in, whoever that person could be, we’d have to release somebody, and I don’t think we want to do that.
“I think we like our roster how it is, and there’s no one that I would feel comfortable releasing at this point to add room for somebody else.”
Even if the Mavericks were to have a change of plans in regards to the buyout market, there will be real competition for Dragic's services, including the thought of a potential return to the Miami Heat. But when your superstar player voices that he wants something, you have to listen as a front office. Perhaps Doncic just sent a subtle message about what he wants to happen next.
