By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
The Miami Heat are planning ahead for the next season and are picking up Goran Dragic’s $19.4M team option for 2021-22, as it was reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Dragic, 35, was traded to the Heat in 2015 and has averages of 16.2 points and 5.2 assists across his seven seasons with the organization. In the previous campaign, the Slovenian veteran had 13.4 points, 4.4 assists and 3.4 rebounds across 50 games.
His biggest contribution came during the team’s NBA Finals run last season, next to Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, by averaging 19.1 points, 4.4 assists, and 4.1 rebounds in the Orlando bubble.
Per Wojnarowski, Miami’s decision to pick up the option on Dragic’s deal could possibly mean utilizing him as part of a potential sign-and-trade with the Toronto Raptors for Kyle Lowry.
At the same time, the Heat have also decided to decline their $15M team option on forward Andre Iguodala’s contract for next season, making him a free agent, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
UPDATE: The Heat officially announced they exercised their option for Dragic.