Spurs win in the Jefferson deal

June 23, 8:52 PMNBA ExaminerRyan Harings

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More than any other sport; trades in the NBA are about shedding salary as often as they are about acquiring talent. On Tuesday night the Bucks shed the salary and the Spurs acquired the talent.

The move, which sends Richard Jefferson to San Antonio in exchange for the expiring contracts of Bruce Bowen and Kurt  Thomas, greatly enhances the talent level on an already strong Spurs roster. Jefferson is durable, has scored 17.7 PPG in his career and brings a professional attitude that will fit perfectly with the Spurs and how they play the game.

With three established stars already on the roster; the Spurs may now be the team best positioned to challenge the Lakers for Western Conference supremacy.

For the Bucks, the move was a pure salary dump - not to make light of the defensive prowess of Bowen or the toughness of Thomas, but this move doesn't make Milwaukee better for next season. What it does for the Bucks is free up a large chunk of salary for the great free agent class of 2010, and it perhaps clears the room for the team to lock up Michael Redd long-term.

In a simultaneous deal, the Spurs will also send the versatile Fabricio Oberto to the Detroit Pistons for Amir Johnson, who then goes to the Bucks.

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