Brandan Wright traded to Suns for future draft pick

The Phoenix Suns have acquired Brandan Wright from the Boston Celtics for a future first-round draft pick, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski. The move gives Phoenix an extra big man to pair with Alex Len and Miles Plumlee.

The Suns will surrender the first-round pick it owns from the Timberwolves, which is protected for the top 12 in the next two seasons before turning into two second-round picks if it isn’t conveyed by then. Phoenix has extra salary-cap space available to absorb Wright’s $5 million salary.

Wright was a key part of the Celtics’ trade package for Rajon Rondo last month, but hasn’t fit in well without Dallas’ spacing to make his rolling to the basket easier. Boston was looking to flip him for a different future asset and found a trade partner in the Suns, who are looking to fortify their frontcourt to make a push for the playoffs in the deep Western Conference. Wright should split time with Len and Plumlee.

It took a while for the former lottery pick to find his NBA niche, but Rick Carlisle and the Mavericks rescued him when his career appeared to be at a dead end. Wright was unleashed as a small-ball center that got easy buckets diving to the rim on pick and rolls. He hardly ever shot outside the paint and didn’t need to because of Dallas’ spacing and his touch around the hoop. That led to gaudy per-minute numbers and a lot of success within his confined role. Soon, the Mavericks used the threat of his rim-rolls to open shooters on their second unit.

But Wright was also a limited player that struggled against bigger offensive players, so the Mavericks decided to use him as the key piece in the Rajon Rondo trade. Without the Mavericks’ infrastructure, Wright floundered in his brief time in Boston, averaging just 11 minutes a game and failing to match his shooting percentages. The Suns are hoping their style will suit Wright better than Boston’s.

The Suns play fast and space the floor, using their centers mostly as garbage men that score on pick and rolls and putbacks. In this situation, Wright should thrive, though Phoenix is not as skilled a passing team as Dallas. The Suns are committed to Len and saw Plumlee experience a revival last season, but Wright may be better than both of them. He offers Len’s defensive length combined with Plumlee’s soft hands around the basket.

“The Suns’ current situation made this a no-brainer,” writes SB Nation’s Suns blog Bright Side of the Sun.

Boston receives a first-round pick originally sent to Phoenix as collateral for absorbing the disappointing Wesley Johnson back in 2012. The pick was protected for the lottery, but since the Timberwolves continued to struggle, the Suns haven’t yet received it. It will be conveyed as a first-round pick only if the Timberwolves don’t pick in the top 12 this year or next. Otherwise, it will become two second-round picks (one in 2016, one in 2017).

The Timberwolves are embarking on a rebuilding plan after dealing Kevin Love, so it’s highly unlikely they’d make the playoffs in the Western Conference in the next two years. Thus, Boston will likely receive two second-round picks to add to their war chest. The Celtics are reportedly finalizing a move to deal Jeff Green to Memphis for a first-round pick, giving them 11 over the next four years if you include this one.