Raptors rumors: Trading Goran Dragic proving very difficult

Most of the Toronto Raptors rumors that have sprouted up in recent months have been centered around veteran point guard Goran Dragic. With Toronto not fitting his desire to compete for a championship, the Raptors have been trying to deal him in exchange for some assets for the future.

Even though Dragic is 35 years old and has a hefty $19.4 million salary this season, teams will still be interested in acquiring his services. The Dallas Mavericks have been mentioned as a destination for a very long time due to the Slovenian’s connection with superstar Luka Doncic.

Unfortunately, moving a player with his salary requirements and lack of production has proven to be more difficult than Toronto anticipated. The latest buzz around Dragic hints that it might be very difficult to get a deal pulled off in the near future.

On the HoopsHype podcast, Bleacher Report insider Jake Fischer claims that there has been “no trade chatter” around Dragic. Fischer compared the situation to what Andre Drummond went through in Cleveland last year, as his salary is so high that it is impossible to acquire him without giving up tons of assets to make the money match up.

Toronto Raptors Rumors: Trading Goran Dragic will be hard.

Dragic has played in just five games this season, averaging 8.0 points per contest. The team immediately perked up when he was benched in favor of Dalano Banton, which is not something you want to see if you’re interested in acquiring Dragic. Would you want to surrender multiple picks and players for someone struggling to stay in the rotation?

Toronto must sell teams on the notion that Dragic is still as skilled as he was in Miami and that his brief statistical drop-off was the result of a small sample size rather than any sort of concerning trend. If they can do that, they may find a way to move Dragic before the trade deadline.

If the worst-case scenario comes to light, Toronto may just have to buy him out. This is certainly not the best option considering they will have gotten nothing back for one-half of the Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade package, but it makes no sense to keep him shackled to the roster like this.

Dragic could potentially help the Raptors get an offensively-minded backup point guard or a center that gives them some much-needed rebounding skill. However, Dragic may be viewed as damaged goods around the league, making it even harder for a trade to be consummated.