In a surprise trade deadline move, the Milwaukee Bucks have traded point guard Brandon Knight to the Phoenix Suns as part of a three-team trade that also involves the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Bucks receive point guard Michael Carter-Williams from the 76ers and point guard Tyler Ennis and center Miles Plumlee from the Suns. The deal was made official Thursday night.
Milwaukee also sent point guard Kendall Marshall to the Suns, while Phoenix shipped the Los Angeles Lakers' top-five protected 2015 first-round pick to Philadelphia.
"We're thrilled to add three talented young players in Michael, Tyler and Miles to our team," Bucks general manager John Hammond said. "Jason (Kidd) and his staff have an excellent track record of developing young talent, and we think this trade will accelerate our team's growth as we continue to build toward the future and our goal to put a championship-caliber team on the floor."
Knight averaged 17.8 points and 5.4 assists in 52 games for the Bucks this season. Acquired in July of 2013 in the Brandon Jennings sign-and-trade, the 23-year-old is set to be a restricted free agent after the season.
The Bucks claimed Marshall off waivers from the Lakers this past summer. He averaged 4.2 points and 3.1 assists in 28 games with Milwaukee before tearing his right ACL in London on Jan. 15. Phoenix is expected to waive Marshall, who would have been a free agent following the season.
"Both Brandon and Kendall are outstanding players and even better young men," Hammond said. "They've both played an important role in our success this season. We wish them nothing but the best."
In Carter-Williams and Ennis, the Bucks get two young guards still on their rookie contracts. Milwaukee controls Carter-Williams through 2017 and Ennis through 2018.
Carter-Williams averaged 15.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists in 41 games for Philadelphia. The 23-year-old was the league's Rookie of the Year following the 2013-14 season.
Picked No. 11 overall out of Syracuse by Philadelphia in the 2013 NBA Draft, Carter-Williams joins Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook as the only players averaging at least 15.0 points, 7.0 assists and 6.0 rebounds this season.
Carter-Williams missed Philadelphia's last three games and 12 games overall this season due to a right big toe strain. "I can't lie I'm shocked," Carter-Williams tweeted Thursday afternoon. "I love this city thank you for everything. I can honestly say I gave it my all. I wish Philly nothing but the best."
Ennis was buried behind Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas with Phoenix. The 20-year-old rookie has played in only eight games with the Suns, but he's averaging 18.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists in nine games with Bakersfield in the NBA's Developmental League.
Selected No. 18 overall in the 2014 draft, Ennis averaged 12.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists in his lone season at Syracuse.
Plumlee averaged 4.3 points and 5.1 rebounds in 54 games with Phoenix. The 6-10 center started 79 of his 80 games last season with the Suns, averaging 8.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
The 26th overall pick by Indiana in the 2012 NBA Draft, Plumlee began this season as Phoenix's starting center but recently lost his job to Alex Len. He was traded by the Pacers to the Suns in the summer of 2013 in a deal that sent Gerald Green and first-round pick to Phoenix and Luis Scola to Indiana.
To clear roster space for the trade to go through, the Bucks waived veteran forward Kenyon Martin. The 37-year-old inked two 10-day contract with Milwaukee before he was signed for the remainder of the season on Jan. 29.
In 11 games, Martin averaged 1.8 points and 1.7 rebounds in 9.5 minutes per game.
"We thank Kenyon for his contributions on the court and in the locker room," Hammond said. "He's a real professional and we wish him well."
