The Milwaukee Bucks are getting a much-needed big man and the Houston Rockets are positioning themselves to make a big move.
The Bucks and Rockets agreed to a trade Wednesday, a day before the NBA draft, with the Bucks sending the No. 12 overall pick and three players to the Rockets for center Samuel Dalembert, the No. 14 overall pick, a future second-round pick and cash considerations. The Rockets get guard Shaun Livingston and forwards Jon Leuer and Jon Brockman in the deal.
Dalembert has career averages of 8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots per game. Center is a major need for the Bucks, who traded away Andrew Bogut to the Warriors last season and never found a way to replace him.
Houston, meanwhile, apparently is positioning itself for a blockbuster move after dealing Chase Budinger to Minnesota for the 18th pick on Tuesday. The Rockets now have the Nos. 12, 16 and 18 picks in Thursday's draft, but the team might make more moves as it puts together a package to land a superstar big man -- possibly Orlando's Dwight Howard or Atlanta's Josh Smith.
Howard, a five-time All-Star center, asked to be traded by the Magic during the season.
The Rockets went 34-32 last year, missing the playoffs for the third straight season. They've lacked a strong inside presence since former top overall pick Yao Ming started running into foot and injury issues and finally retired last summer.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times
reported that the Hawks have aggressively tried to trade Smith to the Lakers for Pau Gasol, initially expressing interest in Gasol shortly after Oklahoma City eliminated the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals. Smith has been unhappy in Atlanta for more than a year, his dissatisfaction starting after the 2010-11 season because he felt he was an unfair target of criticism by coaches and media members.Bobcats: General manager Rich Cho says it will take "something enticing" for the Bobcats to trade away the No. 2 overall pick in the draft. Cho won't say exactly what that entails.
For now the Bobcats haven't received a tantalizing enough offer and still own the rights to the No. 2 pick, although that could certainly change before the start of the draft.
Pacers: Larry Bird is calling it quits with Indiana. Bird, perhaps the most respected and beloved basketball figure in a state obsessed with the sport, will leave his job as the Pacers' president of basketball operations at the end of August. He spent four years building the team into an Eastern Conference contender and was this season's NBA executive of the year but is instead moving on after saying just a month ago that he was willing to stay.
Bird said health issues were among the reasons for his departure. He said he might need shoulder surgery and cited long-standing issues with his back.
"I just think it's time," he said at a news conference Wednesday as the team announced an executive reorganization.
Timberwolves: President of basketball operations David Kahn says Minnesota is interested in signing Brandon Roy, who is seeking a comeback after knee injuries caused him to miss all of last season.
Wire services contributed to this report.
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