Heat land Dragic in 3-team extravaganza
The Miami Heat won the Goran Dragic sweepstakes on Thursday, acquiring the 2013-14 Most Improved Player along with his younger brother, rookie guard Zoran Dragic, from the Phoenix Suns in a three-team trade that also involved the New Orleans Pelicans.
While the Dragics (Dragii?) head to South Beach the Heat are sending Shawne Williams and Norris Cole to the Pelicans, with Danny Granger and Justin Hamilton going to Phoenix. John Salmons will go from New Orleans to the Suns in the deal, per SI.com.
Dragic had listed the Heat as one of his preferred destinations when his agent informed the Suns that the Slovenian would not entertain the idea of re-signing with Phoenix in free agency this summer.
Dragic is averaging 16.2 points, 4.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds and a steal in 33.4 minutes per game, numbers that are all down from a season ago in the wake of the Suns adding a third point guard, Isaiah Thomas, to the mix this season.
Zoran Dragic, meanwhile, only played in six games with the Suns, scoring six points in 13 minutes. He was signed in September with the notion that his addition to the organization might entice his older brother to remain with the club.
Williams was averaging 6.6 points and shooting 39.5 percent from 3-point range as a part-time starter for the Heat, while Cole was averaging 6.3 points and 3.5 assists in 24.4 minutes per game. He was shooting career lows of 38.6 percent overall and 26.5 percent from 3-point range.
Granger is averaging 6.3 points in 20.4 minutes and shooting just 40.1 percent overall.
The Pelicans, however, are reportedly planning to buy out Williams’ contract.
New Orleans plans to buyout the contract of Shawne Williams, league source tells Yahoo Sports. That adds another good shooter to market.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 19, 2015
Hamilton had played sparingly—24 games—and averaged 2.8 points and two boards in 12 minutes a game. Salmons was averaging two points a game in 21 appearances for the Pelicans. Phoenix will be his seventh NBA team in a 13-year career.
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