The Milwaukee Bucks signed Miles Plumlee to a four-year, $50 million contract last summer, but things didn’t work out the way either side had hoped.
Bucks general manager John Hammond sent Plumlee to the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday, getting big men Roy Hibbert and Spencer Hawes in return. The Bucks also released Steve Novak to make room for the extra roster spot.
Plumlee averaged 2.6 points and 1.7 rebounds in 32 games for the Bucks this season.
Hawes is a 10-year NBA veteran with stints with Sacramento, Philadelphia, Cleveland, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Hornets. He averaged 7.3 points and 4.2 rebounds in 35 games for Charlotte this season.
Hibbert is in his ninth NBA season, including seven with the Indiana Pacers and one with the L.A. Lakers. He averaged 5.2 points and 3.6 assists in 42 games with the Hornets this season.
The trade provides some savings for the Bucks. Hibbert is on a one-year, $5 million deal and Hawes has a $6 million player option for the 2017-18 season and is making $5.8 million this season.
Both Hawes and Hibbert aren’t expected to join the Bucks on their Western trip. The Bucks are in Denver tonight (Friday) and at Phoenix on Saturday. It’s most likely that both players will be ready to play for the Bucks when they host Miami on Wednesday, Feb. 8.
The Bucks enter tonight’s game in Denver with a four-game losing streak and have dropped nine of the last 10 games overall.