Last week, Goran Dragic went through the first few days of Tau Ceramica's camp not knowing whether he was on the Spanish club for good or if his wish to join the Suns would be granted.
On Tuesday, he passed a Suns physical exam, played basketball and made dinner plans with new teammate Boris Diaw and saw his name over a Suns locker. He's still wiping away the pixie dust.
Dragic is only an unofficial member of the Suns because intricacies of his Tau buyout may take four weeks to wrap up. Nevertheless, Dragic was in "paradise" when he talked Tuesday about joining the Suns, even if it was just a lunch visit to the downtown.
"This is like my dream come true," said the 22-year-old Slovenian point guard, who is daydreaming a night after a 14-hour trip to Phoenix. "I'm the happiest man on Earth now."
It is an unreal experience for Dragic, who was watching Suns star Steve Nash in awe during games shown at 4 a.m. last season in Slovenia. Now, the Suns pledge to make Dragic an immediate backup and eventual Nash successor.
"I can't believe I'm on the same team with him," Dragic said. "I'm really blessed. This is my next step. I must practice hard in hopes I can replace Steve Nash in the future."
Dragic said he never wavered from a desire to join the Suns from the time he came to Phoenix for a secret workout June 22. The Suns maneuvered to draft him 45th four days later, setting off seven weeks of buyout negotiation - and consternation.
Dragic was cleared to go to Phoenix last week but had nobody to high five in an empty room at Tau's camp. Prior to that, he was "nervous" that his NBA dream would remain just that.
Now, in spite of expectations for him to immediately be a playmaker in the rotation, Dragic does not talk like a nervous man. He is certain he can live up to such hopes.
"I like to play the fast basketball you see in the NBA," said Dragic, who idolized Allen Iverson, Michael Jordan and Nash. "I must gain a little bit of weight but, with hard work and great players like Steve Nash, I can learn a lot of things.
"I admire Steve Nash. I want to play like him, but it's not possible because I play different basketball. He can help me a lot. I must practice hard to become one of the best players in the NBA."
Dragic believes his defense and passing can pay immediate dividends and hopes to develop his perimeter shooting, ballhandling and knowledge.
He will sign a contract similar to Suns first-round pick Robin Lopez's four-year, $6.75 million deal, except he will have three guaranteed years as opposed to Lopez's two. He also will have to pay at least $1 million to Tau for his buyout.
"Because this is my dream," Dragic said of why he sacrificed most of his rookie salary. "Now, I have this opportunity. My dream comes true. When I was a kid, I woke up at 3 or 4 in the morning to watch NBA games. I practiced a lot to become a player who could someday play in the NBA. My dream has come true in Phoenix."
