Goran Dragic on decision to retire, why Heat will always be his ‘home team’ and more

While working out in Miami the past few months to remain ready for a potential return to the NBA, Goran Dragic realized he was ready to retire.

“When you’re playing, you miss a lot of time with the kids,” Dragic said to the Miami Herald, referring to his son Mateo and daughter Victoria. “Every day, I was taking the kids to school, bringing them back, taking them to practice and then I just realized that I lost so much time with my kids.”

Even before announcing his retirement following 15 NBA seasons last week, Dragic was essentially only open to signing with one team.

“I was waiting for Miami to open something up because I really wanted to finish my career with the Heat because this is my favorite organization,” Dragic, 37, said. “I had the best moments in my career there. But it did not happen. I understand this is part of the business. Then I just made a decision to pull the plug.”

Dragic wanted to end his NBA career with the Heat, where he spent seven seasons before being traded to the Toronto Raptors as part of the Kyle Lowry deal during the 2021 offseason. But the Heat’s plan and Dragic’s desire to return didn’t align, with the Heat set to continue its homestand on Friday against the Orlando Magic (8 p.m., Bally Sports Sun) after falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder 128-120 at Kaseya Center on Wednesday.

“We talked with Spo a little bit, Pat and those guys,” Dragic said of conversations with Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and Heat president Pat Riley. “Probably they wanted to go in a different direction.”

Dragic may not have gotten his wish to finish his career with the Heat, but he enters retirement as one of the best point guards in franchise history. He ranks among the Heat’s all-time leaders in field goals made (ninth), three-point shots made (seventh), assists (third) and points (ninth).

Dragic joined the Heat when the Phoenix Suns traded him to Miami in February 2015. The Slovenian guard averaged 16.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from three-point range in 391 (282 starts) regular-season games with the Heat.

One of Dragic’s best stretches with the Heat came during the team’s 2020 playoff run to the NBA Finals in the Disney bubble amid the COVID-19 pandemic, when Miami fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in the championship series. He averaged a team-high 20.9 points to go with 4.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 36.3 percent on threes in the first three rounds of the playoffs before tearing the plantar fascia in his left foot in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Dragic, who was drafted in the second round in 2008, appeared in one All-Star Game during his NBA career, and it came in 2018 as a member of the Heat.

“I have nothing but respect for Micky [Arison], Pat, Spo. I love those guys,” said Dragic, who plans to remain in Miami even in retirement. “They gave me everything when I was here. For me, Miami is my team that I consider the main team in my career, the home team.

“Even if I signed with the Heat or somebody else, this would be probably my last season anyway. That’s how I felt in my soul. I’m really happy with my career. I achieved more than I imagined. It’s been a hell of a ride.”

Here’s the rest of the Miami Herald’s conversation with Dragic following his recent retirement:

What are some of your favorite memories from your time with the Heat?

“Everything. Just when I came to the organization and just to share the locker room with UD [Udonis Haslem], D-Wade [Dwyane Wade]. Unfortunately with Chris Bosh, I didn’t have a lot of time. That’s one of the biggest regrets in my career, that I couldn’t play with CB because I really feel like my game and his game would complement each other, especially playing pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop. Then Luol Deng and those guys, the Finals in 2020 in the bubble, Jimmy [Butler], seeing the young players come in like J-Rich [Josh Richardson] and Tyler Herro and see how they’ve developed is really unique. Also, the playoffs against Charlotte, Toronto in 2016.”

How often do you think about what could have been with the Heat if you could have played with Bosh?

“That year in 2016, if you remember against Toronto, without Hassan [Whiteside], Justise [Winslow] has to play as the five. Imagine if we just had CB in that series. I really think we would have made the Finals. We would have really had a good chance to play for the title. But yeah, it’s always tough.”

When you think about the bubble playoff run to the NBA Finals in 2020, does it bring back positive memories or does it still hurt because of the way it ended for you — with an injury — and the team — with a loss in the Finals?

“I have to take it as a positive memory. I look at it this way, I did everything that was in my power. Many people don’t know I was already playing hurt most of the playoffs. Every morning when I woke up, I already had that pain in my heel. So that was the start of plantar fasciitis. You know me, I lost a tooth, I broke my nose, I play through it. So I’m really good with the pain, but that was too much. That was definitely a sad moment in my career when I went down in the first five minutes of the Finals. That’s the only thing I would change in my career. I would have just liked to have the opportunity. Even if we lose that Finals or win it, whatever would be the case, at least I would have known that I gave everything I got. But in the end, I couldn’t.”

There has been some social media discussion about whether the Heat should retire your number. What do you want your Heat legacy to be?

“I think I get this even when I walk through Miami when people recognize me, they always say: ‘I appreciate what you did for the franchise.’ The only thing I want to be remembered for is being a warrior, that I gave everything, 100 percent. I love this game. I always played as much as I could, I gave everything I got. Just to think about the jersey retirement, that would be insane. For me, that would be probably something that’s never even been in my thoughts.”

Your former Heat teammate Wayne Ellington is now on the Heat’s coaching staff. At some point, would you be interested in working for the Heat in some capacity?

“Definitely. I don’t know if I want to be a coach. My main thing right now is I would like to stay in Miami to be with my kids, to be a dad. But definitely, that’s my dream, to work for the Heat some day. You know, the goals change every year. And maybe in one year, it’s going to be, ‘I want to be a coach.’ You never know. But that’s my team. We’ll see. It’s good to have options and now my focus is on the kids. But probably at some point, definitely.”