Goran Dragic is expected to opt out of his current contract with the Miami Heat to possibly sign a fresh and longer term deal reportedly worth $80 million.
While the contract worth is pretty lucrative, the thing is that it is not the max contract that Dragic can possibly get.
As an example, Dragic could be dangled a contract worth $85 million for just four years, meaning he would be getting roughly $21 million annually compared to the Heat offer of $16.5 million. Doing the math, would a $5 million annual difference prove to be a big thing for the Slovenian basketball star?
Dragic has said before that he enjoys being in South Beach and that the Heat are bent on keeping him. But will money play a factor? Would a higher pay from let's say the Los Angeles Lakers or the New York Knicks entice him to jump ship?
Such seems to be a point worth considering right now as the NBA is headed to the NBA Free Agency period this coming July 1. The Heat and Dragic have mutually said that they wanted to continue their working relationship but the glaring $5 million difference is something worth pondering on.
If the Heat are unable to match that max offer from other teams, Dragic could be lost. Why would the Heat not offer a max contract?
Well, it isn't just about Dragic as far as the Heat is concerned. They have to deal with Dwyane Wade and Luol Deng as well.
Wade has said he will opt out of his contract and will be looking to get the proper paycheck while there is no word yet on what Deng plans to do. But the belief is that Deng may eventually opt out as well.
Hence, the Heat are sort of in a bind since they have to tinker around with the salary structure of their players and avoid the dreaded luxury tax penalties. Investing largely on Dragic is something that has yet to be resolved so it will be interesting to see what the Heat will do if Dragic opts for the bigger money.
Would this mean that Wade is lost? The latest word out is that Wade and the Lakers have a mutual interest and this development doesn't speak well on the chances of the Heat retaining their long-time All-Star guard. Another team being linked to Wade are the Cleveland Cavaliers where his pal Lebron James is currently playing for.
Can the Heat survive with Dragic alone, assuming he agrees or is given a max salary?
