Goran Dragic (Heat) (Photo : Getty Images)
The Miami Heat are now looking at the future of the franchise with the departure of Dwyane Wade.
One of their biggest questions to answer is whether Goran Dragic is part of that future. The Heat has made the ultimate sacrifice and more and more pundits are starting to believe that it was all part of the plan. Thus, sacrificing Dragic would be relatively easier.
In an article from Tom Ziller of SB Nation, he noted that Riley refused to give Wade the "tribute contract" similar to what the Lakers gave Kobe. If they did it, they would be like the Lakers who had to build through the draft again and ended up being shunned by free agents. Not exactly Pat Riley's style.
Ziller also noted that letting Wade walk was planned so the Heat can gain cap flexibility to chase free agents in 2017, specifically Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin and Gordon Hayward. The Heat will build with Whiteside as the fulcrum.
Dragic will elicit interest from teams that swung for point guards in free agency but eventually missed out. The New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets all got their targets but teams like the Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings and Houston Rockets failed to address their need.
However, the best trade partner for the Heat does not come from those teams. In light of their goal to be a free agent player in 2017, Miami should shoot for expiring contracts.
Among the destinations for Dragic, Sir Charles In Charge named the New Orleans Pelicans as one of the better destinations. Playing with Anthony Davis would help his assist numbers and the Pelicans would run a more organized offense with the "Dragon" at the helm.
The New Orleans Pelicans have two players on expiring contracts that may interest the Miami Heat-Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans. They have a combined payroll of $21 million so the Heat can even throw in Josh McRoberts, who has a player option for next year and could affect the Heat's cap flexibility.
Holiday and Evans are still good players and Heat could try to re-sign them if they perform well after they get their big free agent targets. They could still make Miami competitive for the 2016-17 season, but it's clear that Pat Riley's is exercising his foresight and looking ahead.
