Warriors trade Ellis, Brown to Bucks for Bogut, Jackson
By TNT Analyst David Aldridge
Posted Mar 13 2012 9:01PM
A league source confirms that the Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks have agreed on a trade that will send guard Monta Ellis, forward Ekpe Udoh and veteran center Kwame Brown to the Milwaukee Bucks for center Andrew Bogut and guard Stephen Jackson. The trade officially ends the Warriors' already-slim hopes of being part of a trade for Dwight Howard. Golden State had told the Orlando Magic it would be willing to do a deal for Howard even though Howard had said he would not sign a long-term extension there.
Instead, the Warriors opted to try and solve their long-held problem in the middle by trading for Bogut, who has been one of the game's top young centers since being taken first overall in the 2005 Draft. However, several injuries over the years to Bogut made Milwaukee leery of his long-term stability, and with $27 million and two years left on his deal, the Bucks weren't ready to give him an extension. A league source said that Bogut was equally uncertain about his future in Milwaukee and had indeed asked for a trade in the last few weeks.
The deal was done after the Warriors agreed to take Jackson, the veteran guard who had fallen out of favor with Bucks Coach Scott Skiles. Jackson has one year and $10 million remaining on his deal and wanted to be moved to a contending team. He had been acquired on Draft day last June from the Bobcats as part of a three-team trade with Sacramento, Charlotte and Milwaukee.
The second source said the Houston Rockets had been trying in recent days to work out a deal for Bogut, who is expected to miss several more weeks after fracturing his ankle in January. Bogut could be back in case the Warriors, who have been playing better of late, complete an improbable playoff run. Golden State is currently just three games out of the final playoff spot in the west.