Spurs to buy out veteran point guard Goran Dragic?

When the Spurs acquired Goran Dragic at the trade deadline, it was expected that the veteran point guard and San Antonio would eventually reach an agreement on a buyout that would allow him to join a championship contender. Now, that plan is already being set into motion.

Dragic and the Spurs are expected to negotiate a buyout over the coming days, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Once a deal is struck, it will allow Dragic to join a team for the home stretch of the regular season and playoffs.

San Antonio landed Dragic in a deal with Toronto on Thursday in which Thad Young, Drew Eubanks and a 2022 second-round pick were sent to the Raptors. The Spurs also received a lottery-protected first round pick in the 2022 draft, meaning if Toronto fails to make the playoffs, it will roll over to 2023, where it is protected from picks 1-13. If the pick is not conveyed by then, it will become two second round picks.

Dragic's best days as a player are behind him, but the 35-year-old can still be a valuable contributor to a contending team. He was averaging eight points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game before the trade, but he had appeared in only five games for the Raptors this season.

Over his career, Dragic has been a reliable playmaking guard with significant experience playing in the postseason. Over 14 seasons, he holds career averages of 13.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game while shooting 36.4 percent from 3-point range. He's appeared in 56 playoff games, and is averaging 14.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists in the postseason.

After a slow start to his career, Dragic blew up in the 2013-14 season with the Suns, averaging more than 20 points per game for the first time. Arguably the best stretch of his career came with the Heat, however, as he earned his lone All-Star appearance while with Miami and was part of the 2019-2020 team that made it to the NBA Finals in the Orlando bubble.

According to Wojnarowski, several teams are interested in acquiring Dragic once he's bought out. He mentions the Lakers, the Clippers, the Bucks, the Bulls, the Nets and the Warriors as teams that will be in pursuit.