Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Goran Dragic's Contract Can Help the Raptors At Next Month's Trade Deadline
The strange Goran Dragic saga will soon be coming to an end.
At some point in the next two weeks, the Toronto Raptors will either trade or buy out the 35-year-old point guard who has been away from the team for personal reasons since late November. While his lack of playing time this season has certainly hurt his trade value, the Raptors may find some leverage by using his contract to their advantage.
Dragic is on a $19.4 million contract this season and, assuming the Raptors want to stay under the luxury tax, Toronto isn't going to want to trade for anyone making more than that number. While that price tag is quite prohibitive, it's an expiring deal and that could help the Raptors come next month's trade deadline.
Financial Situation for 2022-23
The Raptors are projected to be an above-the-cap team next season, prohibiting them from making any big free agent acquisitions in the offseason. They'll have the full midlevel exception and the biannual exception at their disposal, but without cap space, they couldn't take a run at James Harden, for example.
On the other hand, Toronto is expected to be well below the luxury tax threshold next season by about $10-15 million, according to The Athletic's John Hollinger. That's money the Raptors can't use to sign free agents and, with their core players under contract, won't need to use on re-signing players. It's essentially unusable money from a free agency perspective.
Finding a Deal for Dragic
That's where Dragic's contract comes into play. One path forward is to flip Dragic to a team trying to free up salary for next season by taking on Dragic's expiring deal in return for someone under contract through next year.
One option, as Hollinger points out, is to flip Dragic to the Dallas Mavericks for Trey Burke and Dwight Powell, allowing Dallas to free up extra money to re-sign Jalen Brunson and Dorian Finney-Smith. In doing so, Toronto gets two players under contract through next season and, in Hollinger's proposal, a protected first-round pick for doing business.
If Dallas isn't willing to play ball, maybe the Los Angeles Clippers are interested in getting off Eric Bledsoe's $19.4 million contract next season. A Dragic for Bledsoe swap might be a little rich for Toronto, but if the Clippers threw in something enticing there might be room to work out a deal.
Another option could be in New York where the Knicks are reportedly looking to move some of their veteran pieces, per ESPN's Brian Windhorst. Alec Burks, for example, is under contract for $10 million next season and would bring some much-needed three-point shooting off the bench for Toronto.
Looking Forward
A buy-out still seems like the most likely situation for Dragic, but there's a reason the Raptors haven't cut bait with the veteran point guard yet. They've been waiting to see what his contract can net them at the trade deadline. Even if his play hasn't warranted much of a trade return, maybe his contract situation can help Toronto land something valuable for the future.
Further Reading
Raptors show typical second half heart in loss to Bulls
Malachi Flynn discusses raptors season following impressive showing vs. Hornets
Nick Nurse apologizes to Japanese fans following Yuta Watanabe's G League stint
