Goran Dragic has reportedly informed the Phoenix Suns that he wants to be traded before the deadline on Thursday, and the Los Angeles Lakers are among his preferred destinations.
Sam Amick of USA Today broke the news on Wednesday night, revealing that agent Bill Duffy met with Suns executives to inform them about Dragic's intention to leave Phoenix.
Duffy told the Suns that Dragic is not planning to sign a new deal in the offseason, which means that they should trade the point guard or run risk of losing him for nothing via free agency in the offseason.
Dragic, who is averaging 16.2 points to go along with 4.1 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game this season, is reportedly frustrated with his reduced role this season after the Suns acquired Isaiah Thomas in the offseason and re-signed Eric Bledsoe to a five-year deal last offseason.
Dragic could dictate a trade because teams are not expected to give up assets without getting commitment from the 28-year-old playmaker. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported that the Lakers are one of his desired destinations.
The Lakers, who are currently in 14th place in the Western Conference standings with their 13-40 record, have been linked to a possible move for Dragic this season, but sources indicated that they lack the assets to convince the Suns to agree to a trade.
But now that Dragic has informed the Suns that he wants to play in Los Angeles, the Lakers will have a better chance of acquiring the point guard by giving up future assets along with Jeremy Lin, who has been on trading block over the past several weeks.
Lin, who is averaging 10.2 points to go along with 4.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game this season, has made it no secret that he is ready to be traded before the annual trade deadline on Thursday.
"I've been in cut rumors and trade rumors for a long time. So I'm not worried about it," Lin to the Los Angeles Newspaper Group. "It's just my Christian faith. God uses everything for good. That gives me the comfort I need."
The Suns will lose nothing in acquiring Lin because the 26-year-old point guard is also set to become a free agent in the offseason. It is unclear at this point, though, how determined the Lakers are in trading for Dragic, knowing that they could just convince him to sign a deal in the offseason via free agency.
Aside from the Lakers, Dragic also has the Miami Heat, New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers on his list of preferred destinations should the Suns trade him before Thursday's deadline.
