ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Orlando Magic, undergoing a massive overhaul, traded former Utah Jazz center Ike Austin to the Washington Wizards for Terry Davis, Ben Wallace, Tim Legler and Jeff McInnis on Wednesday night.
Austin, who signed a three-year, $15 million as a free agent in January, is the fourth Magic starter from last season to be dealt since the club initiated plan to assemble a younger, more athletic team for first-year coach Doc Rivers.Forward Horace Grant was sent to Seattle in a draft-night trade that brought rookie Corey Maggette to Orlando. Swingman Nick Anderson was moved to the Sacramento Kings for Tariq Abdul-Wahad, and four-time All-Star Penny Hardaway went to the Phoenix Suns last week in a sign-and-trade deal for Danny Manning and Pat Garrity.
Point guard Darrell Armstrong is the only starter remaining for a team that posted a surprising 33-17 record before losing in the first round of the playoffs last season.
"This transaction continues to set the foundation for our plans to relaunch the Magic," general manager John Gabriel said.
"We look forward to the contributions of Terry Davis and Ben Wallace in the frontcourt and Tim Legler and Jeff McInnis in the backcourt. We certainly wish Ike well."
Austin, who will turn 30 next week, was a disappointment in his only season in Orlando. He averaged 9.7 points and 4.8 rebounds, and his role diminished as the year progressed.
"With this trade, we have acquired a talented center in Isaac Austin," Washington general manager Wes Unseld said in a statement. "Ike is just coming into his prime, and he addresses a vital need for this team. His abilities in the low post give us weapons we just did not have last season."
Davis, 32, started 34 games and averaged 3.4 points and 3.8 rebounds for Washington last season, while Wallace, 24, led the Wizards with 8.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.
Legler, 32, is a 44 percent career 3-point shooter who headed to his seventh team in 10 seasons. He averaged four points during the lockout-shortened season.
McInnis, 24, was a second-round draft pick of the Denver Nuggets in 1996. He appeared in 35 games last season, averaging 3.7 points and 2.1 assists.
ROCKETS: Scottie Pippen has asked to be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, a television station reported Wednesday.
KRIV-TV, citing sources which it did not identify other than to say they were close to the Houston Rockets forward, said that Pippen recently asked coach Rudy Tomjanovich to be traded to the Lakers.
Jimmy Sexton, Pippen's agent, declined comment, telling KRIV he would neither confirm nor deny the story. Tomjanovich did not address the issue either, citing club policy that prohibits team officials from commenting on trade speculation.
The Lakers also had nothing to say about any proposed deal that would reunite Pippen with Phil Jackson, the new Los Angeles coach who previously coached Pippen and the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships.
"I guess you'd have to talk to Houston about that," Lakers spokesman John Black said.
Black would not comment as to whether the teams were discussing a trade involving the seven-time NBA All-Star.
Pippen joined the Rockets prior to last season when the Rockets pulled off a sign-and-trade deal with the Bulls. Pippen signed a five-year contract worth $67.2 million.
Last month, Pippen said he wanted to come back with the Rockets.
Pippen, a 12-year veteran, averaged 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists a game this past season.
SPURS: The NBA champion San Antonio Spurs selected a proposal Wednesday to build a $175 million taxpayer-funded arena on the grounds of the county-owned Freeman Coliseum.
City officials had pushed for a $203 million arena complex next to the downtown Alamodome, where the Spurs now play.
But Spurs chairman Peter Holt, after morning meetings with both sides, said team investors opted for Bexar County's plan to build the arena a few miles east of downtown.
With the Spurs now behind the county offer, efforts will proceed toward an election to secure voters' approval for arena funding.
The Spurs, who complain their operation is unprofitable in the Alamodome and want more luxury suites, have made no commitment toward helping to fund the new arena.
The current plan calls for the project to be paid for with hotel and rental-car taxes. The Spurs would manage the arena and get naming rights.