Jun 23, 2009, 22:14 GMT
Los Angeles - Richard Jefferson is on the move again prior to another NBA draft.
The Milwaukee Bucks dealt Jefferson to the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday in exchange for veterans Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Argentine Fabricio Oberto, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
Jefferson's move prior to Thursday's draft is similar to 2008, when the former all-star was shipped to the Bucks from New Jersey for China's Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons on draft day.
Jefferson is the key to the trade, bringing a bit of youth to the aging Spurs, while providing them with another scorer to join Tim Duncan, Frenchman Tony Parker and Argentine Manu Ginobili. In his only season with the Bucks, the 29-year-old Jefferson averaged 19.6 points per game, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in all 82 games.
An eight-year NBA veteran, Jefferson gives the Spurs insurance in case one of their 'Big Three' goes down. Ginobili missed the beginning and end of the 2008-09 season with a recurring foot injury.
By unloading Jefferson and his 29.2-million-dollar contract remaining over the next two years, the Bucks receive a pair of ageing veterans in Bowen, Thomas and Oberto.
A 13-year veteran, the 37-year-old Bowen has been a defensive standout at small forward since joining the Spurs in 2001, helping them to three NBA championships.
Thomas, a rugged forward-centre with 14 seasons in the NBA, came to the Spurs in a trade deadline deal in the 2007-08 season.
Oberto has been with the Spurs for four seasons mostly as a backup centre. The 34-year-old recently underwent a procedure to address an irregular heartbeat that had hampered him since the 2007 season.
The departure of Jefferson will allow the Bucks to give Joe Alexander more court time, after their 2008 first-round draft pick spent most of his first season learning from the bench.
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