The Phoenix Suns have acquired forward Brandan Wright from the Boston Celtics in exchange for a protected 2015 first round draft pick via Minnesota.
“I have known Brandan since he entered the NBA in 2007,” said President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby. “He is a person of the highest character who will fit perfectly into our burgeoning Suns culture. We look forward to welcoming him to Phoenix.”
“We are excited to add Brandan to our roster,” said General Manager Ryan McDonough. “His length, athleticism and finishing ability make him a great fit for our style of play. He is one of the most efficient scorers in the league and his shot blocking ability will help anchor our defense.”
The 6-10, 210-pound Wright is averaging 7.5 points on 72.4 percent shooting, 3.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 35 games with the Celtics and Dallas Mavericks in this his seventh NBA season. In 58 games with Dallas last season, Wright averaged career-highs of 9.1 points, 67.7 percent shooting (224-of-331), 4.2 rebounds and 18.6 minutes. Wright’s 67.7 percent mark from the field in 2013-14 was the highest mark in the NBA among players with at least 100 field goal attempts for the season.
The eighth overall pick of the 2007 NBA Draft out of the University of North Carolina, Wright holds career averages of 7.1 points on 60.9 percent shooting, 3.6 rebounds, 1.0 blocks and 15.8 minutes in 320 games with Golden State, New Jersey, Dallas and Boston. Wright played in eight games with the Celtics after being acquired in a trade with Dallas on December 18 last month.
With Wright (3.82 blocks per 48 minutes in 2014-15) and center Alex Len (3.77 blocks per 48 minutes), the Suns now have two of the league’s top five in blocks per 48 minutes this season among players who qualify for the blocks per game leaderboard.
Phoenix dealt to Boston its right to Minnesota’s protected 2015 first round pick. The pick is top-12 protected in 2015 and 2016, and if the first round pick has not been conveyed by 2016, Minnesota will instead convey its second round picks in 2016 and 2017.
The Suns have also waived forward Tony Mitchell. Mitchell was acquired by Phoenix in a trade with the Detroit Pistons on December 24 last month. The Suns’ roster remains at 15 players.