Dallas Mavericks rumors: Organization believes they will land Goran Dragic

The Dallas Mavericks were active at the start of free agency. They traded Josh Richardson to the Boston Celtics for Moses Brown to clear more cap space in the days leading into it. The Mavs agreed to deals with four players on the opening night. They brought back Tim Hardaway Jr. and Boban Marjanovic before adding Reggie Bullock and Sterling Brown.

Dallas struck out in adding a marquee free agent. Their top target, Kyle Lowry, landed in Miami via sign-and-trade, which opened the door for the Mavericks to acquire Goran Dragic. Many thought Dallas would jump into the deal, but the organization has other ideas as rumored by Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer.

The Mavs see no reasons to trade for Dragic if he will eventually be available on the open market. Here is a closer look at what Fischer had to say on the Mavs Step Back podcast and what it could mean for the Mavericks.

Rumors: Dallas Mavericks believe they will land Goran Dragic

Fischer was asked if he thought the Mavs were finished making moves this offseason. See his response below.

"“I do think they are pretty much done at this point from the conversations I’ve had with people around that situation. I believe they’ve got 15 guys under contract right now. I think Goran Dragic is a name that keeps being linked to them. I really don’t expect him to be headed to Dallas in a sign-and-trade. Now, that could change if he were to become available based on a buyout, but at this point, I don’t think that sign-and-trade with Miami and Toronto with Kyle Lowry will end up rerouting Goran Dragic to Dallas. I think if he were to get there it comes via buyout later on.”"

Fischer continued to say that Dragic already signaled his desire to play in Dallas with overseas media quotes. They followed up with a question about why the veteran guard would not be sent to Dallas via trade. See Fischer’s response here.

"“If there’s this notion that there is a strong sense they could get him on a buyout situation, why would Dallas be inclined to give assets to Toronto in order to get him now. I think that’s kind of where that stands.”"

Fischer noted again that Dragic’s preference appears to be joining the Mavericks. They have no reason to trade for the veteran if they can acquire him on a minimum deal after he is let go by the Raptors. The Bleacher Report scribe noted the most likely thing is Dragic gets bought out and has his choice of teams.

Dragic was one of the Heat’s key players in their run to the NBA Finals inside the Walt Disney World bubble in 2020. The 35-year-old is a proven ball-handler, scorer, and playmaker. He has a close relationship with countryman and Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic. The pair helped Slovenia win EuroBasket 2017 and have dreamed of playing together in the NBA.

Dragic is best suited for a bench role at this point in his career, but he could be a key piece for Dallas in the playoffs. The Mavericks struggled with Doncic on the bench against the Clippers in the first round in 2021. Dragic’s ball-handling and playmaking would help Dallas’ offense keep rolling in the postseason. He could become an important piece for the Mavs to take the next step.

Will the Dallas Mavericks land Goran Dragic before the start of the 2021-2022 season? They appear confident, but the transaction is far from complete. Keep it locked to The Smoking Cuban for all the latest rumors, news, and analysis on the Mavs.