Ex-Suns PG Dragic: What happened in the past, happened in the past

PHOENIX – It had been 11 months since Goran Dragic last walked the halls at Talking Stick Resort Arena.

The practice court on which he honed his craft the previous two-plus seasons now served as a place for him and his Miami Heat teammates to get some shots up and go over that night’s game-plan on how to attack his former team.

“Feels good, bring a lot of memories back. I had an awesome five years here,” said Dragic, whom the Phoenix Suns drafted in the second round in 2008 and re-signed in 2012 after trading him the year prior. “I’m grateful (for) what they did for me. I still got a lot of friends here. My family, they’re still here. It’s nice to be back.”

Back in February, Dragic had lost faith in the Suns — “I don’t trust them anymore,” he said at the time — and requested a trade.

Dragic had grown frustrated with his role as one of three primary ball-handlers on the roster.

“(I want) to be a point guard, like I was in the past, all my life,” he said then. “To be a point guard, to run the team, to have the ball in my hands and try to make plays for others. That’s who I am.”

And that wasn’t happening, Dragic felt, because the Suns also had both Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas.

Two days after those comments, the Suns traded Dragic to the Heat for two first-round draft picks as part of a three-team, multi-player deal.

Asked Friday about his exit from the Suns, Dragic, who signed a five-year, $85 million contract with Miami last summer, chose not revisit the past.

“I’m not thinking about that. I’m only focused about the future. I’m part of the Miami Heat right now,” he said, following shootaround. “What happened in the past, happened in the past.  You cannot change nothing. I’m just focused about tonight’s game and try to help my team.”

Always a fan favorite during his time with the Suns, Dragic isn’t so sure how he’ll be received when he takes the court against his former team for the first time in Phoenix.

“We’ll see. Probably it’s not going to be a nice welcome,” he said, adding later he wouldn’t be upset if he were booed “because I understand.  It’s a part of the business, so I understand. Probably I would do the same thing if I would be a fan, so it’s all good.”

In 34 starts this season, Dragic is averaging 11.9 points, his lowest figure since the 2011-12 season when he played with Houston. His shooting numbers — field goal, 3-point and free throw percentages — are also lower from where they had been in recent years.

Much of that, however, can be attributed to him taking more of a complimentary role to superstars Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.

“It’s quite different, but I like it,” Dragic said. “We’re winning, and this is a good organization. I’m really happy that I’m part of that. We have so many players that they can score, and we just need to put those pieces together and I think we’re going to be OK.

“Everybody needs to make some sacrifices. I did that, and I’m feeling good.”

Added Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, “What I love about Goran is his approach every single day to try to get better, to try to be a better point guard for this team. There’s a lot of responsibilities, and I see big improvement.  He’s embraced every challenge and that’s how you grow and get better in this league. He shows a lot of winning qualities.”

At 21-14, the Heat own the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.

Meanwhile, the Suns (13-25) are currently the fourth-worst team in the Western Conference; though they are coming off a 111-102 victory over Charlotte that snapped a nine-game losing streak.

“They’re going through some tough times, but I know they’re going to figure it out,” Dragic said, referring to his former team.

Looking back on his time with the Suns, Dragic pointed to the 2010 Western Conference Finals run as his best memory.

Dragic perhaps had his best moment as a pro that postseason when he scored 23 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter in Game 3 of the conference semifinals against San Antonio.

“I put my name on the map that year in the NBA, and we just had a great chemistry. It was awesome,” he said.  “I’m trying to do that here now (with the Heat). We have a great group of guys who are committed and of course we want to win the championship. We’re going towards that.”

Look who's back. Ex-#Suns fan favorite Goran Dragic returns for first time #SunsVsHeat pic.twitter.com/e39PAfFhLi

— Craig Grialou (@CraigAZSports) January 8, 2016

It was 11 months ago that Goran Dragic asked for and was granted trade request off #Suns roster #SunsVsHeat pic.twitter.com/AxfxITV2Q9

— Craig Grialou (@CraigAZSports) January 8, 2016

Related

Khaman Maluach fares well with Wembanyama matchup in Suns preseasonCardae Mack emerges as ASU grinds out win against Hawaii through weather delayASU-Hawaii resumes after 40-minute weather delay at halftimeSun Devils’ Cardae Mack scores out of wildcat package for 1st college touchdownASU football without starting center Tana Alo-Tupuola vs. HawaiiDevin Booker ruled out for Suns’ preseason game vs. Spurs