Moreover, both of these first-round picks were unprotected.
This involves a specific timeframe, the summer of 2016, the summer when the new collective bargaining agreement took effect.
Coincidentally, Durant's contract was set to expire that summer of 2016.
If the Heat had always been unsuccessful, whether Durant would choose to leave at that time would be a topic worth discussing.
Once Durant left, and with the Heat's weak performance, those first-round picks would become very valuable.
So, the Suns were gambling.
Of course, all of this was predicated on the fact that Dragic had signed a 4-year, $30 million contract in 2012, which had a player option that summer.
This season, he averaged 16.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game, and he was sure to get a big contract that summer, which meant that his current contract was effectively only half a year long. Only if he were traded to a team willing to extend his contract would he have any trade value.
