Free-agent guard Goran Dragic is meeting with the Bucks in Milwaukee Saturday afternoon and intends to sign with the team for the rest of the season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Wojnarowski first reported on Thursday that the Bucks were the front-runners to sign Dragic, and it seems no rival suitors have jumped the line since then. According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Dragic would have welcomed an offer from the Heat, but Miami isn’t in the market for another point guard.
Dragic, who will turn 37 in May, began this season on a minimum-salary contract with Chicago and was part of the Bulls’ rotation at point guard. However, while he appeared in 51 games, Dragic was only averaging 15.4 minutes per night, his lowest mark since he was a rookie in 2008-09. After the Bulls added Patrick Beverley on the buyout market, Dragic was the odd man out, resulting in his release.
Dragic is no longer the player he was in 2017, when he averaged 20.3 points per game, or 2018, when he earned his lone career All-Star berth, but he was somewhat productive in Chicago this season, averaging 6.4 PPG and 2.7 APG on .425/.352/.659 shooting.
He’ll join a Bucks team that starts Jrue Holiday at the point, with Jevon Carter backing him up. As long as Milwaukee is healthy, it seems unlikely that Dragic will have much of a role, especially once the playoffs begin. But he’ll provide some reliable veteran depth at a position that wasn’t especially deep for the Bucks.
If Dragic signs his minimum-salary contract on Saturday, he’ll earn $617,911 the rest of the way, with the Bucks taking on a $390,433 cap charge. Even after re-signing Meyers Leonard to a 10-day contract, Milwaukee has an open spot on its 15-man roster, so no corresponding move will be necessary.
