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Sources: Suns move Goran Dragic, Isaiah Thomas, get Brandon Knight in separate deals

Sources: Suns move Goran Dragic, Isaiah Thomas, get Brandon Knight in separate deals

The Phoenix Suns remade their backcourt Thursday, sending Goran Dragic to the Miami Heat, moving Isaiah Thomas to the Boston Celtics, and acquiring Brandon Knight from Milwaukee, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

For Dragic, the Suns acquired Danny Granger, Norris Cole, Justin Hamilton and two first-round picks from Miami (2017, top-seven protected; and 2021, unprotected), a league source said. The Heat also received Goran's brother, Zoran Dragic. As part of the deal, New Orleans also traded John Salmons to Phoenix and received Shawne Williams from Miami, a league source told Yahoo Sports.

New Orleans plans to buy out the contract of Williams, league source told Yahoo Sports. That adds another good shooter to market.

In acquiring Thomas, Boston sends Marcus Thornton and a 2016 first-round pick via Cleveland to Phoenix, league source told Yahoo Sports.

As part of the Knight trade, Milwaukee gets Michael Carter-Williams, Tyler Ennis and Miles Plumlee. The Suns also will get guard Kendall Marshall from the Bucks. The 76ers will get the 2015 first-round pick the Los Angeles Lakers owed the Suns as part of the Steve Nash trade. The pick is top-five protected.

After informing the Suns that Goran Dragic, who will be a free agent in July, wouldn’t sign an extension this summer, Bill Duffy, Dragic's agent, on Tuesday delivered the Suns' front office a list of preferred trade destinations that included Miami, along with the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

The Heat were a preferred destiination of Dragic, and Heat president Pat Riley made the deal with a strong belief he'll reach terms on a contract extension with Dragic in July.

The Suns had until Thursday’s trade deadline to make a deal, or risk losing Dragic without compensation this summer.

The Suns had been given hope that moving Thomas would make Dragic more comfortable with re-signing, but it became clear in a meeting with management that Dragic no longer wanted to share a backcourt with Thomas and Eric Bledsoe, league sources said. Dragic had wavered on his feelings toward a future in Phoenix through the weekend, sources said, but ultimately decided that clearing out Thomas in a trade wouldn’t be enough to appease him.

Dragic is averaging 16.2 points, 4.1 assists and 3.6 rebounds this season; Thomas 15.2 points and 3.7 assists.

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