Spurs trade Goran Dragic to Suns!

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

I like the look of Hairston.

[clubalien]

Bro the Spurs could trade Tim Duncan to the Suns and you'd find a way to rationalize it.

Doc was quoted as saying, "We feel amre will bring great support to the Tony led spurs" and "Tim was just getting to old". Doc replaced pop this year after pop retired to focus on his wine business. Shortely after, Tim retired in a move simliar to danny ferry's trade years ago.

[todopedo]

from hoops world, all too funny:

Suns May Not Bring Dragic This Year

Posted: 6/28/2008 4:54:00 AM
Source: East Valley Tribune

How bad does Goran Dragic want to play for the Phoenix Suns? Last Saturday, he got on a plane in his native Slovenia and flew 17 hours to Los Angeles. After a two-hour layover, he arrived in Phoenix just before 10 p.m.

The next morning he was up before 7 and on the practice court at US Airways Center at 9, where he spent an hour and a half playing two-on-two with three other draft hopefuls.

A few hours later, he was back on another plane, headed home.

The Suns were the only team on his agenda.

“All of that because he wants to play here with Steve (Nash),” Suns vice president of operations David Griffin said.

Even that — plus Oregon swingman Malik Hairston, a second-round pick next year and the $500,000 cash it cost for the Suns to coax the Spurs to take Dragic with the 45th pick in Thursday’s draft — may not be enough to get the Suns point guard heir apparent to America this year.

The buyout clause with his team in Spain comes next year. If he and his agent, Bill Duffy (who is also Nash’s agent), try to work a buyout this year, it could cost the player about 1 million euros (more than $1.5 million) even after the Suns kick in the $500,000 allowable to help.

“We’re going to try. We’ll do what we can,” Griffin said. “This year, we can only do what we can do. It’s a lot of money, and the exchange rate doesn’t help. Maybe it takes a year.”

General manager Steve Kerr, who had never seen Dragic before the workout, would rather not wait.

“We’re going to roll up our sleeves and see what we can get done,” he said. “After what I saw, the sooner he gets here, the better.”


http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineSt...NBA#STORY_9741

[Dario]

The first thing I thought of when I heard we were trading the best PG in Europe and (according to the Suns) the 2nd best PG in the draft:

We're bringing Spanoulis back to the NBA! Someone call Kill Bill Pana.

Best pg in europe?

[Kill_Bill_Pana]

Best pg in europe?

American writers and fans always do this. Whatever players is draft they must be "best in Europe". No person from Europe believe Goran is best or 2nd best PG in Europe only hype machines of US.

But he is talented player with good prospect and he have better work ethic than Beno do.

[InRareForm]

Now that Spurs are getting ed 2-3 years down the road too.

ain't that the truth!

[longhorn]

Now that Spurs are getting ed 2-3 years down the road too.

2 years. Bingo.

[honestfool84]

Wow.

[Spurious]

I don't know the details of Dragic's career the way many of you do, but I've heard he only got serious about the NBA when he knew he might have a chance to play with Nash. So who knows if he'd have been as excited about leaving Europe for SA or any team besides the Suns?

[Pero]

I don't know the details of Dragic's career the way many of you do, but I've heard he only got serious about the NBA when he knew he might have a chance to play with Nash. So who knows if he'd have been as excited about leaving Europe for SA or any team besides the Suns?

Well he probably wouldn't play for the Spurs because they wouldn't help him buy out his contract.

[ploto]

I don't know the details of Dragic's career the way many of you do, but I've heard he only got serious about the NBA when he knew he might have a chance to play with Nash. So who knows if he'd have been as excited about leaving Europe for SA or any team besides the Suns?

Not exactly accurate. He came earlier than planned because Kerr wanted him ASAP. Most thought he should have stayed in Europe a little longer.

[timaios]

We had Hairston + Blair & cash for him.
Just sayin'...

[Spurtacus]

Dragic > Blair+Hairston+cash


Memo to Spurs FO. Don't trade guards to Phoenix. Barbosa and Dragic.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

I thought this was a joke.

Wow.

[Russ]

Dragic -- the one thing I liked about this draft.

I remember feeling great for about 5 seconds when the Spurs drafted Barbosa -- then the same thing happened.

The Spurs need to stop drafting for the Suns (and the Rockets for that matter).

Dragic is the type of player that the Spurs would have drafted and kept in earlier years. Barbosa, too.

Looking forward, they definitely need to make the Splitter pick pay off.

[beachwood]

first you're griping that tau will keep the player, now's a tony-stopper.

He's a 2nd round pick. Odds are he never sees playing time, much less becomes a viable nba player.

fail. Hahaha

[beachwood]

Even though the Jailblazers are gone, pot smoking is still alive and well in the Portland area, apparently.

Most 2nd rounders don't make the roster. But the Spurs pick up another 2nd rounder next year, and get cash. It's a great deal.

You need to stop evaluating talent and making predictions. For ever.

Just watch the games and enjoy them.

[EricB]

So people don't like getting Dejuan Blair for this guy. Gotcha.

[crc21209]

So people don't like getting Dejuan Blair for this guy. Gotcha.

+1. What people don't understand is that the Spurs didnt really "trade" this guy to Phoenix...he was Phoenix's pick to begin with...the Spurs were not eyeing him anyway..

[HarlemHeat37]

Yup..that seems to be lost in all this LOL..

NBA teams generally don't analyze late 2nd round picks for trades..Phoenix obviously had Dragic in mind beforehand..

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Memo to Spurs FO. Don't trade guards to Phoenix. Barbosa and Dragic.

I don't think the Spurs really regret giving Barbosa to the Suns, in fact it's a move that might have won them a championship.

[DPG21920]

Exactly. It is like people don't know what is going on, but talk anyways. The Spurs traded the Suns the pick, not Dragic specifically.

[Blackjack]

+1. What people don't understand is that the Spurs didnt really "trade" this guy to Phoenix...he was Phoenix's pick to begin with...the Spurs were not eyeing him anyway..

I still don't have a problem with the trade -- Blair's gotta future, THC was born and, even though it's been a bad matchup for him this series, I'm very glad they've got Hill.

But to your last point, that's not necessarily true. They had just already drafted Hill:

It was a prearranged trade, so the Spurs didn’t know whom the Suns were taking. Once they learned it was Dragic, some San Antonio officials winced. They, too, had seen Dragic’s potential but had already taken another young guard, George Hill, in the first round. When Hill labored in his summer-league debut a few weeks later and Dragic shined, the groans spread to the Spurs’ coaching staff.

Hill won over the Spurs soon enough. He’s improved steadily and now rates as one of their top six players. He’s struggled in this series, but the Spurs wouldn’t have beaten the Mavericks without his contributions. There’s no shame in the Spurs’ decision, especially considering that the future pick they received for Dragic became DeJuan Blair.

It looks bad now -- in light of the series and recent play -- but I think both sides will end up pretty pleased when it's all said and done.

[Biggems]

IMO, had we kept Dragic, he would have turned into Beno Part 2......The Suns are a perfect fit for him. Their system is a lot less rigid than Pop's. Once Dragic got in Pop's doghouse, he would have never seen the court again.

[tlongII]

So people don't like getting Dejuan Blair for this guy. Gotcha.

Are you crazy?