The tale of Goran Dragic and the Suns is the tale of two very different unions. Dragic first joined the Suns in 2008, after Phoenix traded with the San Antonio Spurs for his draft rights. He was billed as the heir apparent to franchise icon Steve Nash, serving as his backup for two-and-a-half seasons.
His crowning moment with the Suns came in Game 3 of the 2010 Western Conference Semifinals, when Dragic erupted to lead an 18-point comeback over the same Spurs that traded his rights away. He scored 23 points in the fourth quarter, including five-for-five from deep, to give Phoenix the victory and a 3-0 series lead.
By the middle of the next season, the Suns were looking for a change at the position and moved him to the Houston Rockets. After one-and-a-half seasons in Houston as the backup to Kyle Lowry, he returned to Phoenix in free agency, this time as the official replacement to Nash.
After strong play on an otherwise middling Phoenix team, the Suns shocked the league in 2013-14. The team was expected to tank, but won 48 games and missed the playoffs by a whisker.
Dragic averaged 20.3 points and 5.9 assists per game, shooting over 40 percent from deep. Named to the All-NBA Third Team, he accrued 10.3 win shares — one of just 12 Suns to hit that mark in a single season.
The following season, the Suns’ chemistry fell apart. Dragic requested a trade from a team he felt was marginalizing him for the two younger point guards on the roster in Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas. He and his brother Zoran Dragic were traded to the Miami Heat, where he has played ever since.
While he was never able to reach the true pinnacle of success with the Suns, he did go out on top in international play. Pairing with teenage phenom Luca Doncic, Slovenia won EuroBasket 2017, where Dragic was named MVP of the tournament.