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Candice Dupree traded to Indiana Fever as part of 3-team deal

NEW YORK -- The Phoenix Mercury have traded Candice Dupree to the Indiana Fever as part of a three-team deal that includes the Connecticut Sun.

The Fever also get the No. 17 pick in the draft while Phoenix receives Camille Little and Jillian Alleyne from the Sun. Connecticut receives Lynetta Kizer and the eighth pick in the draft.

Fever coach Pokey Chatman coached Dupree for two seasons in Russia.

"Simply put, she's a cerebral, consistent, championship-type player," Chatman said Tuesday in a news release. "Her ability to face up and knock down shots has always been on display, however her low-block presence is also extremely efficient. I'm looking forward to coaching Candice again."

Dupree, 32, has spent the past seven years playing for the Mercury after starting her career in 2006 with the Chicago Sky. The five-time All-Star has averaged 14.7 points, although she had a career low 11.3 last season. She helped the Mercury win a title in 2014.

"First and foremost, I want to express the deep appreciation of our entire organization for the contributions on and off the court made by Candice Dupree in her seven years in a Mercury uniform," Phoenix general manager Jim Pitman said in a statement. "We would not have won a championship in 2014 without Candice, and she has been instrumental in helping to grow our game and our fan base in Phoenix since 2010.

"Our goal every season is to win a championship. Like our fans, we were disappointed with the results of 2016 and, while that was not the fault of any one or two or three players, we entered this offseason knowing difficult decisions would have to be made to improve the way our roster fit together as a whole. ... We were able to turn one power forward into two, and get both veteran experience and great potential."

Little, 32, will be playing for her fifth team. She averaged 7.8 points last season for the Sun.

Kizer, 26, averaged a career-best 9.6 points for Indiana last year.