Zoran Dragic, brother of Goran, has been drawing NBA interest since the conclusion of the 2014 FIBA World Cup. There have been numerous teams interested in the 25-year old, but ESPN’s Marc Stein is now reporting that the Phoenix Suns are clear frontrunners to sign Zoran. It is likely that Dragic obtains a two year deal to play alongside his brother in Phoenix’s backcourt.
However, the Suns will have to buyout Dragic from his deal in Spain with Unicaja Malaga, first. It may cost the Suns nearly $1 million to buy Zoran out, but that issue may be resolved this week.
Zoran has been playing basketball overseas since 2004. In 2012, Dragic was part of the Houston Rockets’ summer league team but was unable to amaze NBA scouts back then. Now, he has finally impressed scouts with his recent FIBA World Cup performances. The Slovenian averaged 12.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game during the FIBA tournament. Zoran will certainly add more shooting to the Suns lineup.
Dragic signing with the team has huge implications on Eric Bledsoe. He will absolutely get traded if Dragic does indeed sign with Phoenix. As previously reported, the Minnesota Timberwolves have offered Eric Bledsoe a max contract, but Phoenix is uninterested in a sign-and-trade with them.
Nonetheless, Zoran Dragic will more than likely land an NBA deal, something he has wanted for the past few years.