Brooklyn Nets win Goran Dragic sweepstakes; how big of a win is the move?

The Brooklyn Nets win the Goran Dragic sweepstakes. 

The Brooklyn Nets are in the news again, this time in a signing of the 35-year-old Goran Dragic to a deal for the remainder of the 2021-22 season. Caught up in the deal was Nets guard Jevon Carter who was waived from the team to make the open roster spot available for Dragic.

Can the Slovenian lefty elevate the Nets while Ben Simmons is out and with Kyrie Irving only available for away games?

Brooklyn is seriously building a roster with a lot of veteran talent. The newest addition is Dragic who earlier in the season was traded from the Toronto Raptors to the San Antonio Spurs. Dragic did not play any games for the Spurs, but he will be a highly valued piece on the Nets roster.

The one-time All-Star only appeared in five games for Toronto this season and is averaging 8.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. His numbers are slightly down from his career average but I think he can add a spark to the Nets guard play while the team still deals with ongoing issues.

Kyrie and Simmons are dealing with their respective issues, and I feel that Dragic is the short-term answer for the rest of the season. Irving is still only available for away games and nobody but the Nets and Simmons know when he is truly coming back. Considering all that, the Dragic signing makes a ton of sense.

Coach Steve Nash will have a nice selection of guards to use for the rest of the year. For right now, he definitely has Dragic, Patty Mills, Seth Curry, and Cam Thomas at his disposal. Add Simmons and Irving back to that rotation and I think that is a very polished backcourt.

If the Nets didn’t acquire Curry from the 76ers in the trade for James Harden, I would have given this signing an “A,” due to the need for a backup – or even a spot-starting – guard. Nevertheless, signing Dragic is a big win for the Nets. He was arguably the most sought-after buyout candidate.

Even with Curry on the team, I give the Nets a “B-” for the overall deal. Dragic is a career 46 percent field goal shooter with a 36 percent 3-point average as well. No team can ever have enough players with the ability to handle and distribute the basketball. He averages just under five assists a game for his career.

The Nets have 23 games left in the regular season and Dragic will have to mesh with his teammates quickly if everyone wants to be on the same page come playoff time. Brooklyn is three games over .500 and will look to sneak into the top six seeds to avoid the play-in tournament. Will the Dragic signing help the Nets short-term, or will this be a decision they will regret when the season is over?