The Miami Heat will be without guard Goran Dragic for a little while longer.
He underwent surgery today to clean up a troublesome right knee injury and, per the team, is expected to be out until approximately the All-Star break. NBA All-Star 2019 runs from Feb. 15-17, with the All-Star break lasting from Feb. 15-21. Dragic’s surgery took 45 minutes and was performed by team physician Dr. Harlan Selesnick at Miami Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute at Doctors Hospital.
Per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald and David Furones of the Sun Sentinel, Dragic’s knee had not responded to rest and treatment, which resulted in the need for surgery.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra talked with reporters at Wednesday’s practice and said he’s glad there is a resolution on the horizon for Dragic.
“Goran is as dedicated as anybody. He was getting treatment around the clock and it just wasn’t responding the way he wanted to,” Spoelstra said. “We feel good about the fact that there’s a solution now … This solution is the most promising. We will deal with it and he will be back this season.”
Dragic did not play in the Heat’s last game, a 102-96 win against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday. That marked the fourth time in five games he sat out with right knee soreness. The last game Dragic played in was on Dec. 10, logging 17 minutes in a 108-105 road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Overall, Dragic began the Heat’s six-game road trip out West by slowly working his way back into the mix. He alternated being active for games against the Phoenix Suns and Lakers, but sat out the Dec. 8 game against the LA Clippers that was in between those games.
The Heat have been using Josh Richardson, Justise Winslow, James Johnson and Dwyane Wade to handle playmaking duties while Dragic has been out. Per Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel, the Heat have declined to say whether or not a point guard would be added to the roster.
Dragic missed the final three games of the road trip and there did not seem to be any answers as to how long his setback would be. Before Sunday’s game against the Pelicans, Spoelstra said of Dragic: “He’s not playing tonight, so our focus is just on the guys that are available.”
Dragic was in and out of the locker room on Sunday but declined to talk about his status when asked by reporters. Overall, Dragic has missed 12 of Miami’s past 14 games. He is averaging 15.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game in 14 games this season, shooting 41 percent and 31.4 percent on 3-pointers.
