Stupefying: Chicago Bulls 2022-23 point guard shocks with early Departure

After suffering a first-round playoff loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2022, the Chicago Bulls retooled over the summer and had their eyes set on another successful season. The biggest moves the front office made were signing Andre Drummond and Goran Dragic, and while the former has been very successful, the latter has made a very surprising decision with his career earlier today.

Dragic has decided to formally announce his retirement from basketball — not just the NBA — after dedicating nearly two whole decades to playing as a professional. Shams Charania of The Athletic broke the news of Dragic’s decision to hang up the threads earlier today.

Most Bulls fans probably remember Dragic from the time Derrick Rose put him on a poster while Stacey King delivered his iconic call, but that doesn’t mean the veteran point guard wasn’t appreciated by the fans when he played here.

Goran registered 51 games last year with the Bulls, averaging 6.4 points and 2.7 assists per game. These stats may not jump off the page, but he was invaluable as a primary ball handler off the bench when injuries wreaked havoc on Chicago’s rotation. Once it became clear the Bulls were not on their way to championship contention, they did Dragic the favor of waiving him so that he could pursue a title with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Goran Dragic may not have spent his best years with the Bulls, but he still compiled a very impressive career.

Although Dragic was a shell of his former self by the time he arrived in Chicago. it would be disingenuous to imply he had anything short of an incredible career. As the 45th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft class, Dragic outperformed all expectations during his 15 seasons in the league, a career which spanned 946 regular season and 62 postseason games.

He averaged a respectable 13.3 and 4.7 assists throughout his career, but that doesn’t really tell the full story. Dragic was a different sort of beast in his prime, most notably in 2013-14, a season in which Dragic earned All-NBA honors and even the NBA’s Most Improved Player award. He averaged 20.3 points and 5.9 assists that year before posting a nearly identical stat line in 2016-17 of 20.3 points and 5.8 assists per game to earn his first-ever All-Star selection.

Internationally, Dragic is even more accomplished. He helped bring Slovenian basketball to the forefront and paved the way for current superstars like Luka Doncic to make their way into the NBA. He even led Slovenia to the first EuroBasket title in their nation’s history in 2017, before being named MVP of the whole tournament.

With his retirement, Goran leaves behind a storied legacy both inside the NBA and out. While Bulls fans may not look back on his tenure with the same level of fondness as say, Miami Heat fans would, it was still a joy to watch him out there on the court in the red and white. And to you Goran, Chicago thanks you for your time and wishes you the best of luck wherever life takes you next!