The Suns have traded Goran Dragic to the Heat, according to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
Goran and his brother Zoran Dragic went to Miami, and the Suns received Danny Granger, Norris Cole, Shawne Williams, Justin Hamilton and two first-round picks -- one from 2017 (top-seven protected), the other from 2021.
The deal was part of a big roster shakeup for the Suns, but one that leaves them in a better position going forward, and especially heading into next season.
Dragic had informed Phoenix that he wouldn’t re-sign there as an unrestricted free agent this summer, due to trust issues he had with the front office, along with being unhappy with his off-the-ball role alongside fellow point guards Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas.
The Suns netted two first-round picks for Dragic, which is a lot for someone who would have been gone at the end of the season regardless. Most of the ancillary players in the deal are likely to be waived, and one -- Norris Cole -- was already traded to the Pelicans.
Phoenix also netted Brandon Knight from Milwaukee as a very nice Dragic replacement, and one who will be a restricted free agent this summer, yet won’t command the max contract that Dragic is likely to (and almost certainly would have been seeking). That move cost them Miles Plumlee and Tyler Ennis, but neither player was a key part of the rotation this season.
Finally, the Suns solved their too-many-point-guard problem by sending Isaiah Thomas to the Celtics, in exchange for Marcus Thornton and a 2016 first round pick (via Cleveland) that is top-10 protected in 2016, 2017 and 2018, and unprotected in 2019. With the Cavaliers expected to be one of the league’s top teams again next season, however, Phoenix will likely get to use it next year.