NBA News: Raptors Veteran Guard To Miss Games Due To Personal Reasons

The Toronto Raptors need all the help they can get, but unfortunately, that may not include Goran Dragic for the time being.

The 35-year-old guard will be on the sidelines indefinitely due to alleged personal reasons.

The development was announced by Raptors general manager Bobby Webster on Sunday, November 28.

“Goran Dragic is taking some time away from the team, with our full support, to manage a personal matter. He has been a complete professional in the time that he has been with the Raptors–Goran has been a great mentor to our younger players and a valued teammate to our veterans," Webster’s statement on Twitter read via Shams Charania of The Athletic.

"He will continue to work out and stay in shape during his time away. There is no definite timeline for this process and we will advise updates as appropriate."

So far this season with the Raptors, the Slovenian guard has appeared in just five games. His last stint was on November 13, a loss against the Detroit Pistons.

Since then, Dragic has been listed as “did not play–coach’s decision.”

In the five games that the All-Star guard has played, he managed to average eight points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 18 minutes of action per Basketball-Reference.

Despite the development, Dragic’s sidelining is unlikely to leave a huge impact on the Raptors.

Fred VanVleet remains the team’s starting point guard and will be backed up by Malachi Flynn, according to Bleacher Report.

Dragic was acquired by the Raptors in August after the Miami Heat shipped him to Toronto as part of the Kyle Lowry trade.

Most will recall that things did not start on the right foot for the Slovenian, initially saying that he did not want to play for the Raptors.

Since then, Dragic and the Raptors have managed to work things out. The personal reasons that he is dealing with remain unclear.

Regardless, the fact that Raptors boss Masai Ujiri, head coach Nick Nurse and the entire organization are backing him up should fend off potential insinuations of a soured relationship between the Slovenian and the team.

But a thing to note here is that at his age, Dragic’s career may be nearing its end unless some other team takes a chance and potentially signs him to a short-term deal.