Sources: Shannon Brown to join Suns

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EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Steve Nash is going to have a new alley-oop partner this season.

Unrestricted free agent and former Los Angeles Lakers guard Shannon Brown will sign a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Phoenix Suns, sources told ESPN the Magazine's Chris Broussard on Thursday.

The deal cannot become official until Friday at 2 p.m. ET, when the league's moratorium on player movement is expected to be lifted after the new collective bargaining agreement is ratified.

Back in June, Brown opted out of his contract with the Lakers for the 2011-12 season that would have paid him approximately $2.4 million.

Brown, 25, played for four teams in his first four seasons in the league before settling into a role backing up Kobe Bryant at shooting guard the last 2½ seasons in L.A.

He averaged a career-high 8.7 points per game in 2010-11, along with 1.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.

The Lakers have the mini mid-level agreement (worth approximately $9.4 million over three years) available to them to pursue bench help. A source familiar with the Lakers' thinking told ESPNLosAngeles.com last week that L.A. has interest in Boston free agent guard Delonte West and Indiana free agent forward Josh McRoberts.

Dave McMenamin covers the Lakers for ESPNLosAngeles.com. Chris Broussard of ESPN The Magazine contributed to this report.

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Dave McMenamin

ESPNLosAngeles.com

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Dave McMenamin spent five seasons as a staff writer for NBA.com in New York and Los Angeles before joining ESPNLosAngeles.com to cover the Lakers and the NBA.