It is a natural part of life in professional sports: A trade relocates a player to a less desirable team. The Toronto Raptors are trying to deal with that situation after Goran Dragic, a central piece of the Miami Heat's 2020 Eastern Conference championship roster, went to Canada as a result of the Heat's acquisition of Raptor legend Kyle Lowry.

It's very simple: Getting Lowry meant the Heat didn't have a place for Dragic. This is not the outcome Dragic wanted for himself, and he directly said so instead of pretending nothing was wrong.

Dragic told the press that “Toronto is not my preferred destination. I have higher ambitions.” It's a natural reaction to his departure from the Heat, whom he enjoyed playing for, and to the fact that the Raptors without Lowry are either in a rebuild or, at the very least, a transitional period. They aren't in position to contend for a title.

Raptors general manager Bobby Webster addressed the situation with extended remarks:

The arc of Dragic's career has been an impressive one before arriving with the Raptors. Year by year, Dragic has had to fight to maintain his place in the NBA. Dragic averaged over 20 points per game in two separate seasons, one in 2014 with the Phoenix Suns and one in 2017 with the Heat. Dragic had to make adjustments in the following seasons, since he was more of a target for opposing defenses each night.

Dragic has spent most of the past decade averaging 16 or more points per game. He had a modest 2020 regular season for the Heat as a bench player, but Erik Spoelstra moved him into the starting lineup for the playoffs. Dragic responded by averaging 19.1 points per game, catapulting Miami to the NBA Finals. Kyle Lowry and the Raptors were one win from meeting the Heat in the Eastern Conference finals, but they lost Game 7 to the Boston Celtics in the East semis in the Orlando bubble.

Dragic and Lowry could have met for the 2020 Eastern Conference championship. Now, they're on opposite sides of the Heat-Raptors divide. It's understandable that Dragic feels dissatisfied.

It's up to the Raptors to make the best of a very difficult situation.