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The Bucks opened their draft-day activities with the deal that brought Jefferson to Milwaukee in exchange for forwards Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons, then added Alexander to the ranks with the first of their two draft picks.
Bucks general manager John Hammond, in his first significant day at the helm of the struggling franchise, cleared the heavy contract of Simmons from the books and added one of the most polished small forwards in the game to his roster.
Jefferson averaged a career-high 22.6 points per game last season with the Nets, and is averaging 17.4 ppg in his career.
Then the Bucks added an athletic 6-foot-8 forward in Alexander, whom Hammond described as a “freakish athlete.” Alexander is pegged as a small forward, but also will play some power forward in the Bucks’ revamped lineup.
In the second round, the Bucks added small forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute from UCLA with the 37th selection.
The trade for Jefferson was like adding a lottery pick with seven years of NBA experience.
“We’ve talked about trying to change the team a little bit, adding some athleticism, energy and some quality pieces to this team,” Hammond said of the trade. “I don’t know if (the trade) says anything more than we’ve said before. We’re trying to get better and trying to put a quality product on the floor.”
New coach Scott Skiles echoed Hammond’s words.
“We feel like we’ve really become more athletic with Jefferson and Joe,” Skiles said. “We feel like we had a very good day.”
What was left unsaid was what remains for the other holdover pieces Hammond was dealt when he became the general manager in April.
Hammond hinted he is not especially open to trading shooting guard Michael Redd. The two met earlier this week, and Hammond said he told Redd he was trying to add quality players to surround him on the court.
That leaves a big question around point guard Mo Williams, the other highly paid part of the Bucks’ backcourt tandem.
A deal involving Williams, who is owed $43.5 million over the next five years, would free up even more money and allow Hammond to continue to reshape the roster.
Jefferson, 28, has three years remaining on his contract for $42 million.
Simmons, who signed a five-year, $47 million deal before the 2005-06 season, has two years left on his contract worth $20.4 million. Add Yi’s rookie deal to the Simmons money and Hammond said it’s “a push” for the next two years for the Bucks.
The trade of Yi was interesting because the Bucks went through international hoops after last year’s draft to sign the 7-footer, whose handlers were clear that Milwaukee was not Yi’s first choice to play.
There also was the question of Yi’s true age. The Bucks listed him as 20, but it was often said he was 23. Yi did not discuss his age with reporters during the season.
“It was not easy, but we acquired one of the top small forwards in the NBA, and simply put, to acquire talent, you have to give up talent,” Hammond said.
The Alexander pick didn’t come as any great surprise, especially after UCLA’s Kevin Love went to Memphis with the No. 5 pick. Alexander impressed the Bucks in a workout last week, then made another appearance at the team’s training site this week to meet again with Hammond.
“I’m going to bring toughness. I’m going to bring someone who is committed to the game and wants to win,” Alexander said in New York after being selected. “Hopefully, I’m going to bring a lot more wins to the Bucks. I can’t wait to get there.”
Alexander was born in Taiwan and lived in China and Hong Kong for the first eight years of his life. A late bloomer in college, he exploded onto the scene last season for West Virginia, averaging 16.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
“He’s still raw, but that’s one of the exciting things about him,” Hammond said. “I think he’ll do anything to get better and do anything to help this team get better.”
