MILWAUKEE — Seeking a scoring threat and willing to take on a significant contract, the Milwaukee Bucks acquired forward Corey Maggette in a trade with the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.
The Bucks also got a second-round draft pick from the Warriors, giving up guard Charlie Bell and center Dan Gadzuric in return.
Maggette played in 70 games with 49 starts for Golden State last season, averaging 19.8 points per game. He will be expected to provide offense for a team that may lose John Salmons, who can opt out of his contract and become a free agent.
"Corey has been a consistent scorer throughout his career," Bucks general manager John Hammond said in a statement. "He shoots a solid percentage from the field and has shown the ability to get to the free throw line. We're looking forward to having him in a Bucks uniform."
Tuesday's deal leaves the Bucks with three selections in the second round of Thursday night's NBA draft.
Maggette, an 11-year veteran, ranked 19th in the league in field goal percentage (.516) last season and had the league's highest scoring average for a player who logged fewer than 30 minutes per game. He has three years and approximately $31 million remaining on his contract.
Bell played in 71 games with 39 starts for Milwaukee last season, averaging 6.5 points, 1.5 assists and 1.9 rebounds per game. Gadzuric appeared in 32 games with six starts, and averaged 2.8 points and 2.9 rebounds in 9.8 minutes per game.
"Charlie and Dan are two high-character veterans who can provide us with some of the intangibles that we need on our squad," Warriors general manager Larry Riley said in a statement. "They are both experienced veterans who will be welcomed additions to our very young team. Additionally, while we certainly wish Corey well and thank him for his outstanding contributions the last two years, this will help alleviate a log-jam that we have at small forward and, more importantly, power forward, where we expect both Brandan Wright and Anthony Randolph to return from injuries and play an increased role on our team next season."
Gadzuric will make $7.2 million in the final year of a massive contract that Hammond inherited from the team's previous front office. Bell will make just under $8 million for the next two seasons.
Bell was generally well-liked by Bucks fans but had a few uncomfortable moments with the team. Earlier this year, he was benched in Game 7 of the Bucks' playoff series against Atlanta for disciplinary reasons. Bell also bristled when the Bucks matched an offer sheet from the Miami Heat in 2007.
Bell thanked Bucks fans in a post to his Twitter account, writing, "Thanks Bucks fans for all your support over the years. We had our good times and bad but I will always love the city of Milwaukee."
DURANT WANTS EXTENSION: The cover of EA Sports' new NBA video game features Kevin Durant on the cover in a white Oklahoma City Thunder jersey.
Durant hopes he'll be signed up to wear that jersey for a long time.
The NBA's scoring champion from last season will get the opportunity to negotiate an extension with the Thunder on July 1 and he said Tuesday that "hopefully something gets done."
Durant was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2007 draft and won the Rookie of the Year award. Last season, he was selected as an All-Star for the first time and averaged 30.1 points to become the youngest player to lead the league in scoring.
Durant is signed with the Thunder through next season under his original rookie contract.
BYNUM HAS KNEE DRAINED — AGAIN: Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum's injured right knee has been drained for the third time in recent weeks, and the two-time NBA champion will have surgery next month.
Bynum said Tuesday he's headed to the World Cup in South Africa before undergoing surgery around July 18 to repair a partially torn meniscus in his knee. Recovery time is short for the surgery, and Bynum should be at full strength for training camp this fall.
The Lakers gathered at their training complex for exit interviews one day after the victory parade celebrating their seven-game win over the Boston Celtics in the NBA finals last week.
Forward Lamar Odom also said he might have surgery on his sore left shoulder.
BLAZERS FRONT OFFICE MAY MAKE CHANGES: With the NBA draft looming, the Portland Trail Blazers have a lot more issues than just who to take with the 22nd pick.
The disarray is centered around Kevin Pritchard, who has been left squirming in the general manager's seat for the past several months.
Pritchard has been considered one of the NBA's best GMs, transforming the malcontent "Jail Blazers" of a few years back into one of the most promising young teams in the league.
But, for reasons that aren't clear, Pritchard has fallen out of favor with billionaire owner Paul Allen, who has reportedly hired a headhunter to find a new GM.
The Blazers won't confirm that a search firm has been hired.