5-on-5: Is Goran Dragic now a villain?

1. Does the way Goran Dragic left town make him a villain to Suns fans in your eyes?

Gerald Bourguet: This story line isn’t even a week old and I’m already tired of it. Did Goran Dragic put the Suns in a tough spot by only giving them 48 hours notice about his intention to not re-sign this summer? Yes. But he didn’t have to give them any notice at all, so at least the Suns were able to get SOMETHING for him in the end. Besides, did he really say anything that was inaccurate? The guy was a top-five point guard last season and by bringing in Isaiah Thomas, the chemistry was thrown out of whack and suddenly we’ve got Dragic playing small forward. Between that, his touches being down 40 percent and the recent skid, no wonder he lost faith. There was ugliness on both sides. Perhaps with more time the bitterness will fade and we can remember the good times again.

Scott Chasen: Absolutely. There’s kind of a rule in life that you should never damage relationships beyond repair unless you have to. That’s exactly what Dragic did. If he tried to re-sign with the Suns in free agency, I don’t think they’d want him. So yes, to me, Suns fans should view him as a villain, and I think they will view him that way. Oh, and the Suns play the Heat on March 2. You’re probably going to want to mark your calendar for that one.

Spencer Hann: Absolutely not. Clearly he won’t be having drinks with Suns management anytime soon, but the fans should feel nothing but gratefulness towards Dragic. The Dragon gave Phoenix everything he had when he stepped on the court and served as a model citizen in the community. Remember, Dragic came back to the Suns in 2012 even after they had already traded him and engineered the most exciting brand of Suns basketball-since the Nash era-last season. Dragic will return to play the Suns at least once next season and anything short of a standing ovation from the fans would be a disappointment.

Eric Saar: Not really. I mean…he certainly showed his true colors and won’t be nearly as loved as maybe Steve Nash, whose situation was somewhat similar. But I don’t see him as a villain. He was in a tough situation (playing time, role, usage) and did what he thought would have been right for his family (himself). It’s alright to be “selfish” in that sense. However, the way he went about it was all wrong. No leaking to the press, etc.

Gavin Schall: Not in my eyes. He went from an incredibly talented spark off the bench to the leader of the most exciting Suns team since Steve Nash’s prime. The terms he left on absolutely sucked, but I’m still of the (possibly delusional) school of thought that the public trade demand was a decision made by his agent, Bill Duffy and not him. Once it was out there, there was no point in him denying it. He was a truly an incredible player last season who didn’t get the respect he deserved from management (totally unintentionally, if that makes sense). I’m not going to let poor decisions on both sides cloud my memory of him as a Sun, and considering he’s already left and came back twice, maybe we’ll see him again despite the fact that Ryan McDonough would sooner quit and work under the tyranny of James Dolan.