Minneapolis, MN (My Sportsbook) - The
Minnesota Timberwolves acquired guard Sam Cassell and center Ervin Johnson from the
Milwaukee Bucks on Friday in exchange for forward Joe Smith and guard Anthony Peeler. The trade is contingent upon all four players passing physicals.
In 78 games this past season, the 34-year-old Cassell averaged 19.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists per outing. He recorded his first career triple- double on December 9 at Cleveland when he poured in a season-high 39 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and handed out 10 assists.
The 10-year veteran has participated in 662 career regular-season contests with Houston, Phoenix, Dallas, New Jersey and Milwaukee and has averaged 15.9 points, 3.3 boards and 6.1 assists per game. Cassell captured NBA titles with the Houston Rockets in 1994 and 1995, his first two seasons in the league.
Johnson, 35, averaged just 2.2 points and 4.3 rebounds over 69 games with the Bucks in 2002-03. The 10-year veteran has also spent time with Seattle and Denver and has career averages of 4.6 points and 6.7 boards per contest.
"Unfortunately, in our business, in order to get talented players, you have to trade talented players," Milwaukee general manager Ernie Grunfeld said. "Sam and Ervin have been valuable contributors to our team. We appreciate everything they've given to the Bucks organization and wish them the best."
Smith, 27, averaged 7.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in 54 contests last year for Minnesota. He missed a total of 26 games because of various ailments. During his eight-year career, which also includes stops in Golden State, Philadelphia and Detroit, Smith has averaged 13.1 points and seven boards per game.
Last season for the Timberwolves, the 33-year-old Peeler played in all 82 contests and averaged 7.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest. Peeler is an 11-year NBA veteran and has also had stints with the Lakers and Vancouver. For his career, which spans 712 regular-season contests, he has averaged 10.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per outing.
