Suns trade Dragic brothers to Heat in 3-team deal involving Pelicans

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The Goran Dragic saga in Phoenix has come to an end.

The pending free agent point guard has been traded by the Suns, along with brother Zoran Dragic, to the Miami Heat as part of a three-team deal involving the New Orleans Pelicans.

Here's how the trade breaks down:

• HEAT: Acquire Goran Dragic, Zoran Dragic
• SUNS: Acquire Danny Granger, John Salmons, 2017 top-7 protected pick from Miami, 2021 1st-round pick from Miami
• PELICANS: Acquire Norris Cole, Shawne Williams, Justin Hamilton

The Heat were rumored to be one Dragic's preferred destinations all along, and the team's next mission will be to lock up last season's All-NBA Third Team selection with a long-term extension this summer.

For now, the vastly improved Heat will look to climb up the Eastern Conference standings. The team entered the All-Star break tied for the seventh and eighth spots (with Charlotte) at 22-30, but with the addition of Dragic, the emergence of Hassan Whiteside, the return to health of Dwyane Wade and the continued presence of Chris Bosh and Luol Deng, the Heat can certainly be a postseason dark horse this spring.

Heat president Pat Riley issued the following statement:

We are incredibly pleased to take another step in getting the Miami Heat back to real championship prominence with the acquisition of Goran Dragic. Goran is an All-NBA player, including the Most Improved Player last season, and we felt that once he became available, we would do all that we could to acquire him. We feel he is the perfect complement to the players we have on the team. We are also pleased to bring his brother, Zoran, into the Heat family. He had a great summer during international play and it’s great to have a brother-brother duo and someone that can help us in our rotation."

Dragic's numbers suffered this season as a result of decreased usage in a crowded Suns backcourt. His usage rate dipped from 24.5 percent last season to 21.5 percent this year, while his possession numbers plummeted from 78.8 touches and 6.4 minutes of possession per game to 62.4 touches and 3.9 minutes of possession, according to NBA.com's player tracking data.

Still, the 28-year-old averaged 16.2 points, 4.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds and a steal on 50 percent shooting.

Younger brother Zoran appeared in only six games with the Suns after being signed in the offseason following his strong performance for Slovenia at the FIBA Basketball World Cup. His signing was seen at the time as the Suns trying to appease Goran heading into his contract year.

Salmons and Hamilton saw limited time for the Pelicans and Heat, respectively, while Cole, Hamilton and Granger played larger roles on a subpar Miami bench.

Salmons, who will be waived by the Suns, is on a one-year deal, while Granger owns a $2,170,465 player option for 2015-16.

The real prizes for the Suns in this deal, of course, are the two first-round picks, not a bad haul considering the team was destined to lose Dragic for nothing in a few months.

For the Pelicans, Hamilton has no guaranteed money on the books beyond this season (he could be extended a $1,147,276 qualifying offer), Cole, who has struggled mightily on both sides of the ball in his four-year career, is set for restricted free agency after this season.

As for Williams, Wojnarowski reports that the Pelicans will buy the floor-spacing forward out of his contract. The 29-year-old could then be an intriguing free-agent option for contending teams, as he's converted 39.5 percent of his 3.5 3-point attempts per game.