Assessing Goran Dragic’s potential fit with the Milwaukee Bucks

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that the Milwaukee Bucks are interested in signing guard Goran Dragic. Dragic, who was most recently with the Chicago Bulls, will meet with the Bucks on Friday.

Dragic averaged just 6.4 points, shooting 42.5 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from 3-point range. His 6.4 points per game were the lowest since his rookie season in 2008-2009.

Assessing Goran Dragic’s potential fit with the Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee continues to be aggressive in the buyout market, and although Dragic might sound questionable to some, it makes sense from the Bucks’ perspective to go out and add him. While he won’t bring what he did against the Bucks during the NBA Bubble, Dragic is still a veteran that should give Milwaukee decent minutes whenever he’s on the court.

Dragic brings a few different things on both sides of the court. He shouldn’t take any of Jevon Carter’s minutes, but the 6-foot-1 Carter could have a tough challenge defending bigger guards in a playoff series. Dragic, listed at 6-foot-4, isn’t the same type of defender as Carter but can bring length when needed for the Bucks.

As noted, however, he shouldn’t be taking Carter’s minutes given how well he’s played this season. Carter is shooting 41.1 percent from 3-point range and has exceeded every expectation that fans could’ve had for him.

Goran Dragic’s playmaking might be the biggest addition for the Bucks if they become turnover happy. That’s happened to the Bucks more often than not this season. Milwaukee ranks 21st in turnovers per game at 14.8 per game. For a veteran and championship-caliber team, turning the ball over the ninth most in the NBA is inexcusable and could even come back to hurt them when it matters most.

He won’t change that department much, as Dragic averaged 1.1 turnovers per game in 15.4 minutes for the Bulls this season. However, in those 15 minutes, Dragic averaged 2.7 assists per game. Chicago makes the least amount of 3-point shots in the NBA this season; the Bucks make the fourth most on average. If Dragic can find guys in a similar way in Milwaukee, he will do exactly what they’re looking for.

In Miami, Dragic found ways to get to his spots and hit tough shots. His final season with the Heat saw him scoring 13.4 points per game while shooting 37.3 percent from beyond the arc. Now, the Bucks likely won’t get that out of Dragic, but it’s fun to think about that scenario.

This move won’t move the needle for Milwaukee but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a positive one. At the very least Dragic brings a veteran presence and can fill that Jeff Teague role. Wojnarowski noted that the Bucks are interested due to his tough-minded leadership:

"“The Bucks believe Dragic’s tough-minded leadership and abilities can help them off the bench in their championship pursuit.”"

Milwaukee needed a third-string point guard if either Holiday or Carter got hurt and Goran Dragic looks to be the best on the market. If he doesn’t take any of Carter’s minutes, this will be a nice, small deal for the Bucks.

Stay tuned to see if the signing goes through.