By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
The Milwaukee Bucks continued to aggressively reshape their roster Wednesday by beating out a clutch of teams to acquire New Orleans/Oklahoma City center Jamaal Magloire.
Milwaukee will send swingman Desmond Mason, its 2006 first-round pick and cash considerations to the Hornets for Magloire, an East All-Star in 2004.
Hornets general manager Jeff Bower said the first-round draft pick, which New Orleans would get even if it ends up in the lottery, was a crucial part of the trade.
"Getting a player of his quality in addition to acquiring an unprotected first-round pick that we'll be able to use immediately in this upcoming draft is a package that we feel really has tremendous value," Bower said.
"We feel that this gives us a player we want and the player to add for our future that we are really, really excited about."
The Bucks, according to sources, felt they needed a more physical presence on their front line to aid the development of No. 1 overall pick Andrew Bogut and the recently re-signed Dan Gadzuric. Magloire, like Mason, has only this season and next season left on his contract, lessening the immediate demands on Bogut without affecting the 7-footer's standing as a future cornerstone.
SportsNation
Which team will benefit more from Wednesday's trade?
Bucks (Magloire)
Hornets (D. Mason, 1st-rd pick & cash)
"In Jamaal Magloire, we were able to add a young, All-Star-caliber big man to our front-court rotation," Bucks general manager Larry Harris said. "He can score facing up, as well as with his back to the basket and he's proven to be a good defender and rebounder during his young career."
Given Milwaukee's logjam of swingmen after retaining Michael Redd, trading for Jiri Welsch and signing Bobby Simmons, a move involving Mason between now and the February deadline was widely seen as inevitable. This one gives the Bucks an opportunity to play Magloire and Bogut -- the Australian from the University of Utah is still expected to start -- together, with Simmons starting at the other forward spot. The Bucks also have Gadzuric and Joe Smith in what suddenly looks like a well-rounded frontcourt rotation.
The Hornets have been shopping Magloire for months as part of their own makeover, which accelerated in February when Baron Davis, another former All-Star, was dealt to Golden State.
Coach Byron Scott denied earlier this week that Magloire was available, but the Hornets -- rebuilding around the embryonic backcourt of Chris Paul and J.R. Smith and displaced from its home base in New Orleans for at least a season -- opted for the chance to add another 2006 first-rounder to their own and an athletic swingman with ties to the team's new home state.
"He's still a dunker, but he's added a whole lot more to his game than that," Scott said of Mason. "He gets to the free throw line a lot. He's a great one-on-one player, and that's something that we really don't have a lot of.
"He's a guy that can get his own shot as well as get other people's shots."
Mason, entering his sixth season out of Oklahoma State, carries a career scoring average of 12.9 points per game and averaged a career-best 17.2 points last season.
"It puts a little bit more pressure on those guys to perform because you've got a guy like that who can come in and play both spots," Scott said. "To me, he's a complete player. He doesn't have 3-point range on his jump shot, but everything else.
"He can get you baskets, he can rebound. I don't know if we've got a guy that can run up and down the floor as fast as he can."
Magloire played only 23 games in 2004-05 because of a fractured ring finger but averaged 13.6 points and 10.3 rebounds in the previous season. The five-year veteran's 19 points in the 2004 All-Star Game led the East.
Memphis, Chicago and the Los Angeles Clippers were among the teams that, needing quality size, hoped to win the race for Magliore, whose departure has also seemed inevitable since he was mentioned in various trade scenarios in conjunction with the June draft. Most of those scenarios involved the Toronto Raptors, who have long coveted the Toronto-born big man.
ESPN.com
The Milwaukee Bucks continued to aggressively reshape their roster Wednesday by beating out a clutch of teams to acquire New Orleans/Oklahoma City center Jamaal Magloire.
Milwaukee will send swingman Desmond Mason, its 2006 first-round pick and cash considerations to the Hornets for Magloire, an East All-Star in 2004.
Hornets general manager Jeff Bower said the first-round draft pick, which New Orleans would get even if it ends up in the lottery, was a crucial part of the trade.
"Getting a player of his quality in addition to acquiring an unprotected first-round pick that we'll be able to use immediately in this upcoming draft is a package that we feel really has tremendous value," Bower said.
"We feel that this gives us a player we want and the player to add for our future that we are really, really excited about."
The Bucks, according to sources, felt they needed a more physical presence on their front line to aid the development of No. 1 overall pick Andrew Bogut and the recently re-signed Dan Gadzuric. Magloire, like Mason, has only this season and next season left on his contract, lessening the immediate demands on Bogut without affecting the 7-footer's standing as a future cornerstone.
SportsNation
Which team will benefit more from Wednesday's trade?
Bucks (Magloire)
Hornets (D. Mason, 1st-rd pick & cash)
"In Jamaal Magloire, we were able to add a young, All-Star-caliber big man to our front-court rotation," Bucks general manager Larry Harris said. "He can score facing up, as well as with his back to the basket and he's proven to be a good defender and rebounder during his young career."
Given Milwaukee's logjam of swingmen after retaining Michael Redd, trading for Jiri Welsch and signing Bobby Simmons, a move involving Mason between now and the February deadline was widely seen as inevitable. This one gives the Bucks an opportunity to play Magloire and Bogut -- the Australian from the University of Utah is still expected to start -- together, with Simmons starting at the other forward spot. The Bucks also have Gadzuric and Joe Smith in what suddenly looks like a well-rounded frontcourt rotation.
The Hornets have been shopping Magloire for months as part of their own makeover, which accelerated in February when Baron Davis, another former All-Star, was dealt to Golden State.
Coach Byron Scott denied earlier this week that Magloire was available, but the Hornets -- rebuilding around the embryonic backcourt of Chris Paul and J.R. Smith and displaced from its home base in New Orleans for at least a season -- opted for the chance to add another 2006 first-rounder to their own and an athletic swingman with ties to the team's new home state.
"He's still a dunker, but he's added a whole lot more to his game than that," Scott said of Mason. "He gets to the free throw line a lot. He's a great one-on-one player, and that's something that we really don't have a lot of.
"He's a guy that can get his own shot as well as get other people's shots."
Mason, entering his sixth season out of Oklahoma State, carries a career scoring average of 12.9 points per game and averaged a career-best 17.2 points last season.
"It puts a little bit more pressure on those guys to perform because you've got a guy like that who can come in and play both spots," Scott said. "To me, he's a complete player. He doesn't have 3-point range on his jump shot, but everything else.
"He can get you baskets, he can rebound. I don't know if we've got a guy that can run up and down the floor as fast as he can."
Magloire played only 23 games in 2004-05 because of a fractured ring finger but averaged 13.6 points and 10.3 rebounds in the previous season. The five-year veteran's 19 points in the 2004 All-Star Game led the East.
Memphis, Chicago and the Los Angeles Clippers were among the teams that, needing quality size, hoped to win the race for Magliore, whose departure has also seemed inevitable since he was mentioned in various trade scenarios in conjunction with the June draft. Most of those scenarios involved the Toronto Raptors, who have long coveted the Toronto-born big man.
