Gaining a reputation for their trades surrounding the NBA Draft, the Milwaukee Bucks made another deal Wednesday.
Milwaukee shipped the No. 12 pick in Thursday's draft, along with forwards Jon Brockman and Jon Leuer and guard Shaun Livingston, to Houston for the Rockets' No. 14 pick and center Samuel Dalembert. The Bucks also received a future second-rounder and cash considerations in the deal.
In desperate need of a big man, the Bucks seem to have filled that void by adding Dalembert — a 6-foot-11, 250-pound center who has averaged 8.0 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in his 10 seasons in the NBA.
"We had an obvious need and obvious hole at the center position after moving Andrew Bogut," Bucks general manager John Hammond told 620 WTMJ in a radio interview Wednesday. "Dalembert is a guy that started most all of his career. He can rebound, he can block shots."
Last season, however, was one of Dalembert's least productive in recent years, as he averaged just 7.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in 65 games with Houston. He has one year left on the two-year deal he signed with the Rockets last offseason. Hammond also praised Dalembert’s durability, as the center has missed very few games throughout the course of his career — unlike Bogut, whose injury risk was a big part of the reason Milwaukee traded him last season.
"(Dalembert) is what we needed," Hammond said. "We needed some kind of help and protection inside."
For Dalembert and the two-pick difference, the Bucks will give up very little production. Leuer averaged only 4.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game in his rookie season. Brockman, who spent two years in Milwaukee, never averaged more than two points a game in a limited role. And Livingston was primarily a combo guard in his lone season with the team, averaging 5.5 points.
According to Hammond, Leuer was the hardest piece to give up. The Bucks GM mentioned to 620 WTMJ that the team had turned down a previous deal from Houston because they didn’t want to give up Leuer unless they were getting a sweet deal in return, one that would ultimately help Milwaukee free more cap room.
The trio of now former Bucks amounted to just $2 million of guaranteed money on the salary cap next season, while Dalembert has a team option for $6.7 million.
Hammond said Monday he didn't expect the Bucks to trade their pick, even mentioning he was "hopeful" a trade wouldn't happen. But having left the door open for a trade if it was too intriguing to pass up, Hammond took the chance to fill the team's hole at center.
Moving down just two picks, the Bucks will likely focus their attention on one of the athletic wings they worked out in the past week. Connecticut's Jeremy Lamb and Washington's Terrence Ross both interested the team, and both could be available at No. 14.
The Rockets, meanwhile, now have the Nos. 12, 16 and 18 picks and are rumored to be interested in using those picks as chips in a deal for either Hawks forward Josh Smith, Lakers forward Pau Gasol or Magic center Dwight Howard.
Follow Ryan Kartje on Twitter
