Goran Dragic kept his word, and he will stay at South Beach, at least for the next four years.
As the NBA Free Agency Fever kicked off, the Miami Heat and Dragic wasted no time in making the deal happen.
The combo guard signed the five-year, $90-million contract, which includes a player option after the fourth year. The deal is not the maximum due to Dragic, though it would not be surprising if the Heat had purposely convinced Dragic to agree to it with hopes of re-signing an unhappy Dwyane Wade.
Wade, who also opted out of his final year, is looking for the proper pay after years of sacrifice. The move is seen as a means of trying to secure his future as the long-time Heat player is no longer as young as he used to be.
Wade has gained the interest of several teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers, but he may eventually end up with a team that can offer him the money and the security, plus another run at an NBA title.
The Heat have made it known that they would be sitting down with Wade soon, though there is no guarantee that they could persuade him to remain in South Beach. If Wade does return, the Heat may find themselves paying a huge luxury tax penalty due to the large contracts of Wade, Dragic, Chris Bosh and Luol Deng.
As far as Dragic is concerned, Miami finally gets a decent point guard since Tim Hardaway. Acquired before the February NBA trade deadline, Dragic has shown his stuff and could likely end up with big shoes to fill if Riley and Spoelstra fail to convince Wade to return.
Dragic is at the prime of his career and can certainly be one of the key pieces for the Heat, as they try to rebound from a dismal season.
