DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - Coming off of their recent trade with the Houston Rockets for Christian Wood, the Dallas Mavericks now have three open roster spots to fill this summer, and possibly a fourth if Jalen Brunson were to depart for the Knicks when free agency begins on June 30 at 5p CT.
One of those spots has long been rumored to be going to Luka Doncic's best friend and Slovenia national team backcourt mate Goran Dragic.
The duo are preparing for their FIBA World Cup qualifying games this week and were recently asked about becoming teammates in Dallas next season. And their reactions were very telling.
“I would like to answer that, but I think it’s a $100,000 penalty if I did. You should ask the GM about that,” said Doncic, while smiling.
Added Dragic: “We can’t talk about it till July 1st.”
Earlier this month, NBA insider Marc Stein reported that the Mavs will 'explore the possibility of signing Dragic.
Dragic, who spent the latter part of this season with the Brooklyn Nets, would provide veteran leadership and production off of a bench unit that is in desperate need of a playmaking guard.
The Mavs sent reserve point guard Trey Burke back to the Rockets as part of the deal in exchange for Wood, and with Brunson's future now up in the air, adding another guard to the rotation will be a priority for the Mavs this summer.
It is also well publicized to this point that Dragic has an extremely close relationship with Doncic, thanks to their shared heritage, and their experiences together with the Slovenian national team.
Dragic was one of the few bright spots for the Nets in their playoff sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics, averaging 10.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 19.8 minutes per game.
Should the Mavs choose to pursue Dragic, the veteran minimum could be an option, while they also have the $6.3 million Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception at their disposal.
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