Goran Dragic is returning to the Miami Heat this offseason.
The Miami Heat gave the Los Angeles Lakers all they can handle in the 2020 NBA Finals, and what is still a weaker Eastern Conference could allow Jimmy Butler and company to make another Cinderella run to the championship. However, Miami needed a veteran scorer and leader like Goran Dragic to make everything jell, and they managed to re-sign their crafty slasher and distributor in the early minutes of free agency.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania is reporting that the veteran point guard is returning to Miami, where he has spent the last six seasons of his career. Dragic signed a two-year, $37 million deal with Miami, with the second year of his contract coming via a team option.
According to multiple reports, the Heat are also bringing Meyers Leonard back on a two-year deal, with the second year being a team option as well.
Goran Dragic is one of the league’s most underrated guards
By virtue of playing on some average Phoenix Suns teams and the post-Big Three Heat, Dragic has flown under the radar for much of his career. However, last year’s Finals run gave Dragic, who averaged 16.2 points per game for Erik Spoelstra and the Heat, the moment in the spotlight he’s deserved for so long.
Dragic didn’t get much of a chance to show off his ability in front of a national audience in the Finals, however, as injury problems limited him to just a handful of minutes in a series Miami lost in six games. If the Slovenian guard can stay healthy, everything points to him having another tremendous season.
The Heat have wasted no time in making sure the band stays together, as the signing of Dragic and veteran backup big Meyers Leonard on a two-year deal worth around $20 million proves that Pat Riley thinks the nucleus of this team is capable of winning a title despite some competition at the top of the conference. If Dragic is healthy, the Heat are legit contenders.