Goran Dragic was supposed to be the Miami Heat's missing piece. They acquired him at the trade deadline in 2015, and suddenly they had what looked like an excellent starting five: Dragic, Dwyane Wade, Luol Deng, Chris Bosh and Hassan Whiteside. Just seven months after LeBron James' departure, the Heat were applauded for bouncing back better than anyone expected.
Dragic didn't play with Bosh until after the point guard signed a five-year, $90 million contract with Miami in the summer of 2015 -- Bosh was sidelined after the 2015 All-Star break because of a blood clot -- and the two would only end up playing 44 games together for the Heat. Bosh's 2015-16 season ended at the All-Star break because of another blood clot, and on Monday Miami president Pat Riley said that Bosh's career with the Heat was over.
Since Wade and Deng left in free agency this offseason, this means that the Heat are now rebuilding, with the 30-year-old Dragic and 27-year-old Whiteside surrounded by unproven young players and journeymen. This is definitely not what Dragic envisioned when he arrived in Miami and re-signed there.
"It's not the prettiest situation right now," Dragic said at media day, via the Palm Beach Post's Tom D'Angelo. "Still, we're professionals, we need to clear our heads and have more focus, one goal in our heads, to get better as a team, to get to know each other and try to build that chemistry we're going to need for the season."
There is a way to be optimistic about Miami: The way the roster is constructed, it can play at a fast pace and take advantage of its athleticisim. This plays to Dragic's strengths, and it will help Justise Winslow -- perhaps the future of the franchise -- camouflage his weaknesses in the halfcourt. Perhaps the team wasn't truly a contender anyway, and the best path to sustainable success is giving Winslow, Tyler Johnson and Josh Richardson (who is out with a partially torn MCL) the opportunity to grow. It can't be easy to sell this to Dragic, though.
This will be Dragic's ninth year in the league, and his fifth as a full-time starter. This past season was the first time he had played in the postseason since he shredded the San Antonio Spurs as Steve Nash's backup in his second year. The Heat have been forced into a situation where they have to be patient, but Dragic wants to win.
For now, Dragic is Miami's best player and de facto leader, telling reporters on Monday that he will have to be more vocal with his younger teammates. If the Heat don't defy expectations, though, it will be worth monitoring this situation. They might decide they want to bottom out and chase lottery balls, and that would mean that parting ways is best for both sides.
