| February 21, 2022, 12:48 PM
February 21, 2022, 12:48 PM
Goran Dragic is reportedly signing with the Brooklyn Nets, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, ending speculation over where the free agent guard would play after having sat out much of the season while a member of the Toronto Raptors.
The San Antonio Spurs acquired Dragic in a trade deadline deal with the Raptors that sent Thaddeus Young to Toronto, and went on to buy him out of his contract, enabling his pursuit of playing for a contender.
Terms of the new deal were not immediately reported. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the deal will be for the rest of the current season.
One of the key components of the sign-and-trade between the Raptors and Heat that saw Kyle Lowry end up in Miami, Dragic appeared in only five games with Toronto. He averaged eight points and 2.8 assists in just under 18 minutes of playing time per game. Dragic left the Raptors to deal with a family matter over three months before the trade to the Spurs took place and did not return.
The expectation from the time of the trade was that the Spurs would buy out Dragic from the remainder of his deal, after which he would be eligible to sign anywhere, with the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers being considered candidates for his services before he ultimately decided to join the Nets.
Heading to Brooklyn reunites Dragic and Nets head coach Steve Nash, who played together while with the Phoenix Suns.
Dragic figures to have the opportunity for a meaningful back-court role with the Nets, given that Kyrie Irving's unwillingness to get vaccinated renders his availability for games unreliable, depending on where the Nets play.
It is not known when Dragic will make his Nets debut, though it could come against Toronto, as the Nets have a home-and-home series with the Raptors next week, playing in Brooklyn on Feb. 28 and Toronto on March 1.
