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ESPN Staff Writer- Video coordinator, college scout, Phoenix Suns
- Assistant director of basketball operations, Phoenix Suns
- MBA from Arizona State University
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ESPN Senior Writer- Co-author, Pro Basketball Prospectus series
- Formerly a consultant with the Indiana Pacers
- Developed WARP rating and SCHOENE system
The Phoenix Suns and star point guard Goran Dragic are headed for a messy divorce after Dragic's representatives announced that he would not re-sign with Phoenix after the season. He effectively gave the Suns an ultimatum: Trade me or I'm leaving.
As ESPN's Marc Stein reported, it is an unceremonious departure for Dragic, who arguably has been the face of the franchise since Steve Nash was traded to the Lakers in 2012.
How did Dragic and the Suns, who enjoyed a surprising rebirth in 2013-14 with Dragic as their star, come to this? And is he worth the eventual lucrative free-agent payday he's seeking? ESPN Insiders Amin Elhassan and Kevin Pelton break it down.
Elhassan: Creating leverage
Despite the Suns' relative success running three-point-guard lineups this season, it was very apparent that Dragic was unhappy about the arrangement. While he was the primary ball handler for much of last season, this season saw him relegated to sitting in the corner and waiting for the play to develop and for the ball to find its way to him, a proposition that became more and more of a rarity. In fact, Dragic's usage rate plummeted from almost 25 percent when he's the sole point guard on the floor to 17 percent when sharing the floor with Isaiah Thomas and Eric Bledsoe.