12:47am: The deal is for four years and $30MM, with $1MM bonuses if Dragic makes the All-Star team, says Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter).
12:00am: Shortly after agreeing to send Steve Nash to Los Angeles in a sign-and-trade deal, the Suns have filled their opening at point guard with unrestricted free agent Goran Dragic. Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter) that the Suns and Dragic have agreed to a four-year contract worth $34MM. According to SI.com's Sam Amick (Twitter link), the fourth year is a player option.
Dragic was said to be seeking a contract worth $10MM annually, and while he won't quite receive that much, an annual average value of $8.5MM is pretty impressive for a player with 36 career starts. The 26-year-old had a breakout season in 2011/12, averaging 16.3 PPG and 7.3 APG in the second half when Kyle Lowry, who had a bacterial infection, was sidelined or playing reduced minutes.
With Dragic out of the picture, the Rockets have offered a contract to Jeremy Lin, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The offer was expected to be a backloaded one for three or four years. If Lin signs that offer sheet and the Knicks match it, Lowry will be the only starting-caliber point guard left on the Rockets' roster, putting the team in an interesting bind, since Lowry is reportedly unhappy in Houston. For their part, the Knicks are expected to match after losing out in the Nash sweepstakes.
For Phoenix, meanwhile, the agreement means a former Sun will return to the team — it was just a little more than 16 months ago that the Suns shipped Dragic and a first-round pick to Houston in exchange for Aaron Brooks. Now, Dragic is headed back to Phoenix, and it appears Brooks will be on his way out.
The move is the third major agreement for the Suns today. Besides the Nash deal, they also agreed to terms on a three-year contract with Michael Beasley. Dragic also represents the Suns' second major point guard addition of the offseason, as the club drafted Kendall Marshall 13th overall last Thursday.
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Dragic, Beasley, Morris, Gortat, Gordon, Marshall! WOO! Go Suns!
Aside from the fact that NO will obviously match the Gordon deal, the Suns look better than they did last year – and that’s somehow without Nash. Amazing.
Marshall and the laker picks for Gordon in a sign and trade!! watch
You can’t sign and trade to the team he signed the offer sheet with.
suns could pull the offer because it isnt official then agree with the hornets on a sign and trade
The Hornets would be the team doing the sign and trade
There is no sign and trade here. Stop saying that. If NO matches it it’s because they want to keep him.
yes
Isn’t this exactly what the rockets offered him. They said rockets offered him 8 mil a year and he wanted 10. I guess his real problem was competition in case Houston didn’t get rid of Lowry.
Good thing they just used their lottery pick on a PG that doesn’t have the skills to play any other position.
Houston we are fuck…. Thanks here is to another mediocre “if that” team
why would you spend a lottery pick on a point gaurd and then spend this much money another PG?? this doesnt make any since but i hate the suns so its good that there screwing their selves
You really think they were going to start Marshall? They need another point guard to help mentor/transition Kendall into the starting role + Dragic knows how the Suns play being a former Sun. If Dragic doesn’t meet their standards, I’m sure some point guard-desperate team would deal for him.
If the suns trade away marshall for gordon it would be stupid….marshall and dragic would ensure our offense is ran fast and efficient, dragic can also play off ball with marshall in the game and knock down shots. I would do a sign and trade with the hornets, dudley and some laker draft picks for gordon or no deal. They can get a couple two gaurds in next years draft…leggo #suns
god phoenix is horny for lefties this offseason…
I like what the Suns have done this offseason do far. Not only that, they add the 4 draft picks from LA. Nice work so far.
wow ,Suns are active and looking smart… maybe