Phoenix Suns point guard Goran Dragic has been the subject of many trade rumors in the past few days as the NBA’s trade deadline quickly approaches later this week. The Los Angeles Lakers have been mentioned as a possible trade partner and have reportedly targeted Dragic all season.
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The Lakers have a couple of expiring contracts that can be moved, but the price to get Dragic is a pretty steep one according to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski:
Sources: Suns want to keep and re-sign Dragic, but to even consider a deal, they would minimally want player w/ All-Star potential and pick.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) February 17, 2015
Wojnarowski also said that if the Suns were to make a deal, it would likely involve one of their other players, not Dragic:
If the Suns make a move before deadline, it is far more likely to include Isaiah Thomas and/or Gerald Green, league sources tell Yahoo.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) February 17, 2015
The Lakers do have what the Suns are asking for, but giving that up in exchange for Dragic would probably be too much of a price to pay. First-round pick Julius Randle is someone who could be a cornerstone for the franchise and he is unlikely to be moved.
The possibility of Isaiah Thomas, who grew up a Lakers fan and expressed disappointment at not being pursued by the team this off-season, is an intriguing one and his contract is a lot more sensible than the one that it would take to keep Dragic around long term. It looks as if the chances of the Lakers making a big splash by the trade deadline are pretty slim.
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