ESPN.com's Marc Stein has reported that the Lakers and Houston Rockets are in hot pursuit of Dragic ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline. Stein's report featured a January quote from Dragic, who didn't rule out landing in Houston—or anywhere else for that matter.
"Oh, no. Nothing like that. Every team in the NBA is an option to me, because it is a privilege to play for any team in the NBA," Dragic said. "When the time comes, I'm going to sit down with my family and my agent and try to make the best decision for myself."
Those words all but guarantee that Dragic will exercise his player option and become an unrestricted free agent.
Phoenix has its own dilemmas to deal with when it comes to the Dragic situation.
Stein mentions that the Suns would rather trade Thomas than Dragic, but notes the potential pitfall to that strategy:
It'd be quite surprising to see him dealt away amid a tight Western Conference playoff race. Phoenix is currently 29-25 and eighth in the conference.
However, seeing the 28-year-old walk in the summer without any compensation would be a tough blow to absorb.
With experienced floor generals in Isaiah Thomas and Eric Bledsoe also on the roster as is, it's difficult to determine what the Suns will do from here. They have to figure out whether Dragic ultimately wants to be around for the long haul, but he may not know until he's explored all his options this summer.
Bleacher Report insider Howard Beck weighed in on Monday about his feelings on Dragic's future in the desert:
Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski provided an update that reflects Phoenix's apparent mindset, which is to let Dr...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
