NBA buyout market: Does Nets signing of Goran Dragic impact Eastern Conference Playoff race?

Gilbert McGregor

NBA buyout market: Does Nets signing of Goran Dragic impact Eastern Conference Playoff race? image

One of the biggest targets on the NBA's buyout market has reportedly found his new home.

According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, veteran guard Goran Dragic will sign with the Brooklyn Nets for the remainder of the 2021-22 season.

Dragic, who will be 36 in May, was reportedly pursued by a number of other playoff contenders, including the Bucks, Bulls, Clippers and Warriors, according to NBA Insider Marc Stein.

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In joining the Nets, Dragic is reunited with head coach Steve Nash. The two were teammates from 2008 to 2011 with the Suns. Per Stein, it was Nash that helped lead the efforts to recruit Dragic to Brooklyn.

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(Getty Images)

This signing continues an interesting year for Dragic, who, along with Precious Achiuwa, was traded from the Heat to the Raptors in exchange for Kyle Lowry last offseason. 

Dragic's time in Toronto got off to a rocky start but he reported to the team at training camp and appeared in five games (two starts) for the Raptors before leaving the team in late November to tend to a personal matter.

At the trade deadline, Dragic was packaged with a first round pick and traded to the Spurs in exchange for Thaddeus Young. Dragic, who was in the final year of his contract, was subsequently bought out by the Spurs.

What does Goran Dragic's signing mean for the Nets?

At the time of this writing, the Nets have lost eight of their last 10 games and sit at eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 31-28 record but are within three games of the sixth seeded Celtics.

Dragic immediately addresses a lack of depth and a glaring void in the Nets' backcourt.

Brooklyn is now in its post-James Harden era after trading the All-Star guard for former No. 1 overall pick, Ben Simmons, who is ramping up his conditioning to make his Nets debut (and season debut for that matter).

MORE: Ben Simmons going to be 'massive piece' of Nets' championship puzzle, says Patty Mills

Additionally, Kevin Durant remains out with a knee injury and New York City regulations regarding persons unvaccinated for COVID-19 continue to hold Kyrie Irving out of games played at Brooklyn's Barclays Center and Manhattan's Madison Square Garden.

In Irving's absence, has taken on a massive role, resulting in a career season in which he's averaging a career-best 13.4 points while shooting 41.9 percent from 3 on a career-high volume (7.7 attempts per game). The addition of Dragic shouldn't take away from Mills but rather make things easier for him, as he can continue to play off the ball in small-ball lineups (it's worth noting that over 80 percent of Mills' 3s this season are of the catch-and-shoot variety).

MORE: Kevin Durant injury update: When will Nets All-Star return to play with Ben Simmons?

In short, Dragic fills those voids as a playmaker and floor general that's very capable of being impactful. Over his five appearances this season, Dragic posted averages of 8.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists, including a 16-point performance (on 6 of 12 shooting) in his last outing, which came on Nov. 13, 2021.

While it's been three months since Dragic has suited up for NBA action, the one-time All-Star has reportedly been working out to stay in game shape. After a return-to-play reconditioning program, Dragic immediately makes the Nets a deeper team built for postseason success – we're less than two years removed from him being a catalyst during the Heat's Finals run in the NBA bubble.

As it stands, it's aligning for Kevin Durant, Dragic and Simmons to get back to action roughly around the same time.

With Irving currently available for just eight of Brooklyn's final 23 games, Dragic's signing could be even more important than it appears on the surface with the Nets positioning themselves for a late-season run to shake up the East standings.

Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.