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Suns will send Eric Bledsoe to Bucks for Greg Monroe, picks

Another disgruntled guard is leaving the Valley of the Sun.

The Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks have reached an agreement on a trade that will send point guard Eric Bledsoe to Milwaukee in exchange for center Greg Monroe and two draft picks (a 2018 first rounder and a 2018 conditional second rounder), two people with direct knowledge of the agreement confirmed to USA TODAY Sports. They spoke under the condition of anonymity because the trade had not yet been made official.

The Suns will receive Milwaukee's first-rounder if it falls between Nos. 11 and 16 this season, 4-16 in 2019, and 8-30 in 2020. The pick becomes unprotected in 2021.

Bledsoe, 27, hasn't played since his infamous "I don't want be here" tweet, which he sent shortly before the news broke that Suns head coach Earl Watson had been fired just three games into the season. Suns general Manager Ryan McDonough said afterwards that Bledsoe "won't be" with the team going forward.

Bledsoe, who averaged a career-high 21.1 points and 6.3 assists for the Suns last season, is set to join a young, talented Bucks team looking to contend in the Eastern Conference.

Monroe, also 27, has been out for over a week with a left calf strain. He averaged 11.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists last season, his second in Milwaukee. Monroe is in the final year of a three-year deal and was not part of Milwaukee's future even though he was effective off the bench.

Bledsoe gives the Bucks a scoring guard who can defend, and at 6-1 with a wing span of nearly seven feet, he fits into the Bucks' plans.

Bledsoe can play both point guard or shooting guard and can play alongside starting Malcolm Brogdon or backup guard Matthew Dellavedova. Bledsoe is a strong pick-and-roll player and should be effective with All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

ESPN first reported that the Bucks and Suns were finalizing the deal.

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt

Contributing: Sam Amick

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