Dragic: Focus Was on Nets Superstars, Not Whole Team

He is happy to be with Chicago after choosing Brooklyn over the Bulls earlier in the year.

Veteran point guard Goran Dragić was a major mid-season addition by the Nets in 2022, playing in 20 total regular season and playoff games with the franchise as its disappointing season came to an end. 

It doesn’t sound as if his time in Brooklyn was a particularly positive experience for the 36-year-old. 

In an interview with Slovenian news outlet Siol.net, Dragić discussed signing with the Bulls, his dalliance with the Mavericks and he briefly touched on what it was like to play for the Nets last season, ahead of what has become a very turbulent offseason for the franchise.

He says that he was in discussions to sign with Chicago but ultimately chose Brooklyn instead, after sitting out for much of the first half of the season with the Raptors. He said that the experience was “difficult,” as most of the attention was paid to the situations with superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, rather than on the team as a whole. He also says he was rushed into a prominent role after barely playing early in the season.

“Last year I decided the way I did. I played with some stars like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, and I have to admit that it was quite difficult because the focus was not the team, but more the individual performances of the individuals,” he said, as translated by Google. 

“… Last season, I didn’t play for four months, then I came to Brooklyn and immediately played 30 minutes, which was difficult. The season was really not successful, but the most important thing is that it is behind us, it is in the past and now we can only look forward.”

Shortly after the end of the season, which ended in a first-round sweep at the hands of the Celtics, Durant reportedly asked for a trade from the Nets. Kyrie Irving opted into the final year of his deal with Brooklyn but has also been the subject of trade rumors, though according to reports, the team isn’t doesn’t appear close to moving either player at this point.

As for Dragić, he is happy to be with the Bulls and is set to have a pretty substantial role with the team, which finished in sixth place in the Eastern Conference a year ago.

“We know the Chicago Bulls have a really good history, so it’s going to be an honor to wear the jersey and hopefully we have a good season ahead of us. Last year, I was positively surprised by their performances for most of the season, especially in the regular season, then they had some more problems with injuries,” Dragić said.

“With Chicago, I will be the second playmaker, playing 20-25 minutes per game, so the role will be quite large. That’s what makes me most happy to still be able to play at a high level. Despite being 36 years old, I feel great and will try to last as long as possible. I have two more seasons on the field in mind, and we’ll see how things go along the way.”

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