Goran Dragic returns to Miami as playoff opponent, but says ‘it’s all love for Heat nation’

During the Miami Heat’s playoff run to the Eastern Conference finals last season, Goran Dragic attended a few of the home games with his son to support his former teammates, coaches and organization.

This postseason? Dragic is the enemy — kind of — as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks’ roster that is facing the Heat in the first round of the playoffs this season.

“At the end of the day, this is my job,” Dragic said ahead of returning to Miami as the Heat’s playoff opponent for Game 3 of the series on Saturday night as Kaseya Center. “So, I’m going to do whatever it takes to help my team. But at the same time, it’s all love for Heat nation. I spent seven years there. Coach [Erik Spoelstra], Pat [Riley], Andy [Elisburg], it’s always weird to play against them, of course.”

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Dragic, who is considered one of the best point guards in Heat history, spent seven seasons with the organization before Miami traded him to the Toronto Raptors as part of the Kyle Lowry deal in the 2021 offseason. He ranks among the Heat’s all-time leaders in field goals made (ninth in Heat history), three-point shots made (seventh) and assists (third).

Since the Heat traded him nearly two years ago, Dragic has played for four different teams and has started just eight games while struggling to find consistent playing time late in his NBA career. He started last season with the Raptors and ended last season with the Brooklyn Nets before beginning this season with the Chicago Bulls and then joining the Bucks in March after the Bulls waived him.

Through all of the moves in the last few years, Miami has remained one of Dragic’s homes. That’s why he’s happy the Heat ended up as the Bucks’ first-round playoff opponent, giving Dragic an opportunity to spend some time in South Florida.

“My kids are still there,” said Dragic, who turns 37 on May 6. “So I’m looking forward to going there to see my kids and play in Miami. It’s always nice. It brings a lot of good memories back. But at the end of the day, it’s business. You have to help your team and we’ll see what’s going to happen.”

That doesn’t mean the conversations, hugs and handshakes stopped between the Heat and Dragic during the season or even during this playoff series. Following Game 2 in Milwaukee on Wednesday, Heat star Jimmy Butler and Dragic shared a moment by the Heat locker room and Dragic caught up with Heat staff members.

“I talked to UD to congratulate him on that amazing game that he had [in the regular-season finale] and during the season we texted a little bit,” Dragic said of recent conversations he’s had with former Heat teammates and coaches. “I talked to coach [Octavio De La Grana]. But usually everybody has such a busy schedule and everybody is so locked in. By any time we play against them or I see those guys, we hug and we talk.”

While Dragic is expected to be in uniform for the Bucks in Miami, he hasn’t been a consistent member of their rotation. After averaging 6.4 points and 2.7 assists in 15.4 minutes per game in 51 appearances for the Bulls this season before joining the Bucks, he did not play in Game 1 of the series and logged just three minutes late in Milwaukee’s blowout win over Miami in Game 2.

Dragic, who is in his 15th NBA season, knows he’s not the same player who averaged 20.3 points per game for the Heat in 2016-17 but he still feels like he can help a team in a smaller role. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent this upcoming offseason.

“I still want to play two more years,” Dragic said. “I still have the passion, the love for the game. Of course, I started the season really well in Chicago and then as a team we didn’t play well and they made changes. But, yeah, I’m still hungry. Of course, I can’t play 25-30 minutes a game, but I can still give you a solid 15 minutes. But we’ll see. I can’t predict the future and everything depends on when that time comes.”

Dragic admits that he’s always hoped to return to the Heat at some point, but it just hasn’t come to fruition yet. When Dragic was released by the Bulls in late February, the Heat’s 15-man roster was already full with 15 players after the mid-season additions of Kevin Love and Cody Zeller.

“Deep down, you’re always hoping,” Dragic said of ending up back with the Heat. “It’s no secret what I feel toward the team and what they mean for me and my family. But the timing was not right, the number and everything. In life, everything has a purpose. So we’ll see.”