Warriors reportedly miss out on buyout candidate Dragic

The Warriors will have to keep searching for point guard depth after veteran Goran Dragic reportedly agreed to a deal with the Brooklyn Nets on Monday.

The news was first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Golden State was one of six teams tied to the 35-year-old Slovenian point guard, who started the season with the Raptors and was bought out by the Spurs after a trade to San Antonio earlier this month.

Dragic would have joined a backcourt that is light on ball-handlers behind Steph Curry. Damion Lee has been in and out of the rotation and Chris Chiozza is limited by his size. With Klay Thompson back in the starting lineup, Jordan Poole has been handling some point guard duties in bench units, but back injuries to Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala have sapped secondary playmaking from the Warriors.

Dragic has strong connections in Brooklyn to head coach Steve Nash, who he backed up in Phoenix, as well as former Suns teammate Amar’e Stoudemire, now a development assistant with the Nets.

The 15-year veteran played just five games this season for the Raptors before agreeing to work away from the team while Toronto sought a trade. He joined that team from Miami in a sign-and-trade deal last offseason for Kyle Lowry and played a key role in the Heat’s run to a 2020 NBA Finals appearance.

Warriors fans have clamored for the team to comb the buyout market for a center with Green and James Wiseman out, but Golden State’s plan is to be patient in the frontcourt. If other veteran point guards hit the buyout market, it stands to reason the Warriors could be interested — particularly if health remains a concern with Iguodala and Green.