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Similar to last summer with LeBron James, the Miami Heat find themselves between a rock and a hard place with pending free agent Goran Dragic. The good news is that all signs point to the star guard re-signing with the Heat, but it will cost the franchise a pretty penny. There are rumors that Dragic is interested in a couple of other teams, but Miami seems to be the clear front-runner and really can’t make any moves until he is signed.
So, Dragic might cause some anxiety for Pat Riley and Heat fans, but the upcoming NBA Draft should bring some relief. Five years ago, Miami traded away a first-round draft pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers for James. Cleveland later traded that same pick to the Philadelphia 76ers. Now, here is the catch, the pick is 1-10 protected and will belong to the Heat as long as the pick is 10th or higher. Anything else and it goes to the 76ers.
The Heat have roughly a 90 percent chance at keeping this pick, and that is great news. As for what to do with it? The word through the grapevine is Miami is looking overseas at some European players. I’m sure that is one scenario that Riley has contemplated, but I’m sure he has a million others. Since this is a lottery pick, it does carry some leverage. The higher the pick, the more power Miami will have.
Depending on the pick number, the players available and team interests, the Heat and Riley could end up trading it away. A possible proposal could be with the Portland Trail Blazers for Nicolas Batum. It is rumored that the Blazers are interested in shopping Batum, and the Heat desperately need a young, scoring forward who can act as a swing man.
I wouldn’t put a trade scenario past Riley because if the Heat do truly plan to sign Dragic to a max contract, they will have little to no salary cap flexibility. With so much talent set to become available and the Heat yearning to be the best again, anything is possible.
Shane Phillips is a Miami Heat Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow Shane on Twitter @ShaneRantSports, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. You can also email Shane at .
