Goran Dragic

[LV-Suns]

TRADE!

8:47 p.m. Thursday

Check that. The Suns just had the draft of their dreams.

They can’t announce the trade yet because it is pending league approval but Phoenix has acquired Slovenian point guard Goran Dragic in a trade with San Antonio.

This is a 6-foot-4, lefthanded point guard who Phoenix envisions can back up Steve Nash and take over the job in a couple years likely will be a Sun. Phoenix fancied him more than D.J. Augustin or Mario Chalmers and spent the night trying to make a deal to move up in the second round to land him.

By adding Dragic, Phoenix has addressed two of the toughest positions to fill -- center and point guard.

Link

 

[green machine]

Really?

 

[LV-Suns]

Really?

 

[jlove]

The only thing is can the Suns get Dragic out of his contract overseas this summer to play here next year?

****EDIT****
Sports 620 KTAR's John Gambadoro reports the Phoenix Suns have traded No. 48 Malik Hairston, their 2009 second round draft choice and cash considerations to the San Antonio Spurs for the Spurs second round pick, Goran Dragic, the 45th selection in the 2008 NBA Draft.
Dragic is a point guard from Slovenia.
"Dragic is considered the second best point guard in the draft but had contractual issues with his team in Europe and wasn't projected to go in the first round because of that," Sports 620 KTAR's Gambadoro said. "He is owned by Tau in Spain and a buyout deal may have been worked out to allow him to come to the United States to play. He is left handed, 22 years old and has great size 6-3 1/2 with a 6-7 1/2 wing span and 37 1/2 max vertical. If he can come now this is a steal for the Suns and they have their point guard for the future."

 

[green machine]

Haha, you didn't post the link.

I went and found it, and if true, at least the Suns got the guy they wanted.

 

[LV-Suns]

Haha, you didn't post the link.

I went and found it, and if true, at least the Suns got the guy they wanted.

Oh, my bad.

Edited it.

 

[Griffin]

This will be a great test of just how good (or bad) our scouting staff is. They wanted Dragic more than Chalmers, even though either one could have been had.

 

[Chaplin]

Very intriguing, but a lot remains to be seen. He doesn't seem like a guy the Suns are willing to let stay overseas.

 

[ArizonaSportsFan]

2 second rounders AND cash, eh? Wow. SA wins again unless Goran is really that good. I guess if the Suns viewed Goran as a first rounder, then they did what they had to.

 

[mojorizen7]

If he plays next year then kudos...i saw some hype-video on him and he's got some skills.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00gbhG0zA5k
Sorry i don't know how to embed this.

 

[LV-Suns]

Phoenix has traded Malik Hairston's draft rights to the Spurs in a deal for the rights to Slovenian guard Goran Dragic.

Text from suns.com

 

[LV-Suns]

Sports 620 KTAR's John Gambadoro reports the Phoenix Suns have traded No. 48 Malik Hairston, their 2009 second round draft choice and cash considerations to the San Antonio Spurs for the Spurs second round pick, Goran Dragic, the 45th selection in the 2008 NBA Draft.

Dragic is a point guard from Slovenia.

"Dragic is considered the second best point guard in the draft but had contractual issues with his team in Europe and wasn't projected to go in the first round because of that," Sports 620 KTAR's Gambadoro said. "He is owned by Tau in Spain and a buyout deal may have been worked out to allow him to come to the United States to play. He is left handed, 22 years old and has great size 6-3 1/2 with a 6-7 1/2 wing span and 37 1/2 max vertical. If he can come now this is a steal for the Suns and they have their point guard for the future."

The Suns would like Dragic to eventually be Steve Nash's replacement.

http://www.ktar.com/sports/?nid=21&sid=879888

 

[da_suns_fan]

Gambodoro is Sarver's puppet!!!

Second best point guard in the draft?!!!

According to who?

 

[Treesquid PhD]

he needs to hit the weights, those were not NBA like defenders in that video.

 

[jlove]

Unless the Suns make more trades (Barbosa or Diaw), then the Suns will need to add that 3rd coveted player that they were trying to get through the draft or free agency. They went into the draft looking to get 3 players...
1. back-up center----Check. Robin Lopez
2. back-up PG----Check. Traded Malik Hairston to Spurs for Goran Dragic
3. defensive wing (Yet to be determined)

With the draft over, if the Suns can't get an un-drafted free agent to fill that role, then I think they should look in the direction of James Jones. He opted out of his player option in Portland, and with what Portland did in the draft today, doesn't look like they will have room nor the want to bring him back. The Suns found out this year what they lost when they traded him to Portland last summer. His stats are great and would do wonders for this team from a defensive and 3pt shooting aspect. As long as he has no hard feelings towards the organization, I think he'd love to come back.

My expectations now through pre-season is the following if nothing else happens via trade, free agency or un-drafted free agency:
Re-sign Skinner
Re-sign Giricek
Sign Jones
Sign Otis George (Suns liked him a lot last pre-season but didn't sign him)

with that, and if we can buy-out Dragic and bring him in the Suns roster would be:

Nash/Dragic/Srawberry
Bell/Barbosa
Hill/Jones/Tucker
Amare/Diaw/George
Shaq/Lopez/Skinner

That's a good roster with some added pieces for the future to round out the team.

 

[dodie53]

the suns added two white guys to the team.

 

[jlove]

the suns added two white guys to the team.

No they didn't. They drafted a WAsian (half white/half asian) and traded for a Slovenian.

 

[CardinalsFan11]

No they didn't. They drafted a WAsian (half white/half asian) and traded for a Slovenian.

I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing

You must be registered for see images

 

[TJ]

the suns added two white guys to the team.

you mean "cracker ass crackers!!"

 

[Andrew]

I have no idea who this guy is...

 

[Suns_fan69]

NBADraft.net profile:

NBA Comparison: Tony Parker (bigger & less quick)
Strengths: High energy point guard with excellent speed and size at 6’4” with long arms and quick feet … Excels in the open court and is not afraid of contact showing the ability to finish plays in traffic … Has surprising but not outstanding athleticism however relies on his size and craftiness to consistently finish strong at the basket … Very active with his hands defensively causing many deflections using his long arms to get into passing lanes … Great teammate … Seems to enjoy the challenge of defending a great player … Tough minded, willing to do the dirty work for the benefit of the team … Shows great mental toughness playing through injuries … Pushes the ball relentlessly in transition putting constant pressure on the defense … One man fast break … Capable of starting the break by grabbing a defensive rebound and finishing the play off himself on the other end … Natural lefty who utilizes a wide array of spin and behind the back moves in the open court … Very solid pick and roll player with a great ability to find open looks for his teammates … Excellent anticipation and lateral quickness … Stays in front of his man on the defensive end… Shows a great ability to recover if beaten initially on a play … Extremely fiery and competitive player … Can be quite a pest on the defensive end of the court … Passionate and aggressive competitor who plays with a high motor … Plays extremely hard … Shows quite a mix of intriguing talents … Needs solid coaching of proper techniques and fundamentals to excel at the next level, however the physical attributes and intangibles are there to become a solid PG in the NBA ...

Weaknesses: Has a tendency to lose sight of the ball and his man defensively … At times can be overaggressive on perimeter close outs making him susceptible to blow bys and escape dribbles for uncontested layups and dunks … Gets bumped off screens in defensive Pick and Roll situations too easily … Lacks solid defensive techniques … Many times leaving his feet too early for fakes and going under screens as opposed to over screens when defending Pick & Rolls … Needs to add sufficient muscle to his slim frame to compete on the NBA level… Lacks consistent mid range game necessary to be dangerous Pick and Roll guard … Similar to Rajon Rondo in that defense just backs off of him and dares him to shoot the ball … Average range from 3 when spotting up … Doesn’t get much lift on his outside shot … Will have to improve that aspect of his game to play in the NBA … Can be somewhat turnover prone at times … Can over dribble and over pass in half court situations … Turns the ball over when he tries to force plays offensively … Hasn’t yet figured out how to consistently create his own shot is more adept at finding open shots for his teammates …

Outlook: Goran Drajic has loads of potential…He is a tall point guard who can rebound and push the ball in transition like a Jason Kidd. Has the craftiness around the basket of a Manu Ginobili (not as athletic) and the aggressive mentality to attack the rim on every possession like a Tony Parker. He may not be as quick as Tony Parker, but he compensates for that with his above average size, speed and overall aggressive mentality… Solid defensively ala Rajon Rondo but with much better size and overall feel for the game … I really think with some solid coaching he could be a real find for a team. Especially a team that runs Pick and Roll frequently and likes to get out in transition where Drajic thrives … He plays with a little bit of a chip on his shoulder … I can see him making it very difficult for smaller PGs getting into their offensive sets … Much better shooter spotting up than off the dribble at this point, however needs to be put in serious work to establish a consistent outside shot … Tony Parker couldn't really shoot when he came into the league and J-Kidd still can't, so speed, size and determination come into play here. He definitely shows that he is determined and willing to make the sacrifices necessary to improve his game and win at all costs … His professional experience has given him the opportunity to become a solid floor general for his club and this knowledge will be a big plus for him moving forward …

Sounds pretty promising if they can indeed bring him over this year.

 

[Slohoop]

Hey guys! I'm new here and i'm coming from Slovenia!

Dragic is excelent pick! On of top talented guards in Europe. Good news for Suns fans is that in couple occasions he totally embaressed Tony Parker in NT matches, he is very good defender and very quick. Maybe he need to improve his shooting, but in this year he'll have chance to play and progress in on of the best Euroleague teams Tau Ceramica.

Let's hope for the best, but i've seen him play in more than 40 matches, he's right guy!

 

[Nash2Amare]

Any possible chance we'll be able to yank him from TAU Ceramica? or are we just another victim of them demanding too much $?

 

[Nate]

You cant be a victim when you draft the rights to a player already under contract. Or are we victims because we cant sign Kobe, Duncan, Paul and company, too?

 

[Slohoop]

Right now is some weird situation about wich club have his rights.

Three years ago he signed with Tau Ceramica, but his former club Slovan demands some cash beacause he had still 1 or 2 years contract with them. They didn't recieve nothing and today is written in Slovenian newspapers that his former club Slovan from Ljubljana win on court and he's back player of Slovan. Until Tau Ceramica pays to his former club, he's member of Slovan.

Also it's written that Tau Ceramica would demand 1M Euros to let him go to Suns.

Deffinately for Suns would be easier to negotiate with Slovan then with Tau Ceramica, but my opinion is: it's better for him and Suns to stay one more year and play in Euroleague and develop. But in near future you can expect a lot from him!