Suns GM on Dragic: 'There's plenty of money for Goran next year'

With Eric Bledsoe locked up for the next five years and Isaiah Thomas in the mix, the Phoenix Suns now have Bledsoe, Thomas and Goran Dragic in a loaded, albeit crowded backcourt.

Thomas, who the Suns signed away from the Sacramento Kings this offseason, is locked up through 2018, while Bledsoe's new deal will keep him in Phoenix through 2019. Dragic, on the other hand, coming off an All-NBA selection, will almost surely decline his $7.5-million player option for 2015-16 and become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Appearing like the odd man out, Dragic's tenure with the Suns could be near its end, however, general manager Ryan McDonough doesn't see it that way.

"We have every intention of keeping Goran in a Suns uniform as long as possible," McDonough said, via The Arizona Republic. "We know he loves Phoenix. There's plenty of money for Goran next year or when it comes up.

"We fully anticipate taking care of him."

If Bledsoe, who has missed 72 games over his four-year career and has never started more than 40 games in a season, commanded an average annual salary of $14 million, then the Suns better be prepared to open the vault for Dragic next year.

The 28-year-old averaged 20.3 points, 5.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 1.4 steals and posted a PER of 21.4 for Phoenix last season, leading the team on a surprising run that fell just one game short of the Western Conference's eighth and final playoff spot.

For his efforts, Dragic was awarded the league's Most Improved Player award.

As part of their commitment to Dragic, the Suns are considered the favorites to sign his younger brother, Zoran Dragic.

Even with Bledsoe and Thomas locked up, the Suns can still create maximum cap space next summer if they don't reach extensions with Markieff and Marcus Morris before the Oct. 31 deadline. Phoenix would also have to deal with the Morris twins' restricted free agency next summer, in addition to Dragic's UFA status.