Goran Dragic sets stage for revenge games against Raptors

The Toronto Raptors were finally able to offload Goran Dragic, as he and his $19 million salary were sent to San Antonio in the same deal that brought Thad Young to Canada. Dragic was quickly bought out and joined the Brooklyn Nets with the goal of aiding their championship push.

While Dragic did start the season with Toronto, it looked like the two parties never really aligned on their vision for 2022. From the higher ambitions quote to the fact that he was sent to the bench in favor of Gary Trent Jr. after just one game, the two just needed to be separated.

In his introductory press conference with the Nets, Dragic said that his departure from Toronto was due to the fact the organization told him they want to lean on young players. Dragic made it sound like leaving the team was more of a mutual agreement than him going rogue.

Even after he qualified that statement by saying he doesn’t have any hard feelings for them, he was quick to note that the Nets will play Toronto twice in the next few weeks. It sounds like Dragic might be in a position to make his black and white debut against Toronto.

Nets PG Goran Dragic could get revenge on the Toronto Raptors.

While Raptors fans didn’t get to see the best version of Dragic in Toronto, he did average 13.4 points per game with the Heat next season. Joining a point guard rotation that already includes Kyrie Irving and Patty Mills could help the Nets get even deeper as the postseason approaches.

The Raptors are currently ahead of the Nets thanks to their injury woes, but Brooklyn’s luck might be starting to turn. The Nets will get Dragic and Ben Simmons into the lineup shortly. Kevin Durant is returning from an injury and New York City could be phasing out the vaccine mandate that has limited Irving’s playing time.

Dragic’s return to Toronto may be delayed given how he needs to work on his conditioning. While he has been playing pickup in Miami, it will likely take a few days before he can be considered in NBA shape. If that happens, he might need to wait until 2022-23 before returning to Scotiabank Arena.

While we may never know what was said between the two parties, it appears as though everyone got what they wanted. Dragic landed on a team with title aspirations and the Raptors got a veteran in Young that helps their own playoff push. This could’ve ended in much more explosive fashion.