Sources: Bucks trading Dellavedova back to Cavs
The Milwaukee Bucks were finalizing a deal Friday to add a veteran and clear their books in the short-term future in a five-player deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards, sources told ESPN.
The Bucks will acquire point guard George Hill in exchange for guard Matthew Dellavedova and center John Henson. The Cavs will acquire the Bucks’ 2021 first- and second-round draft picks, though the first might not convey until as late as 2023 because the Bucks owe a future first-rounder to the Phoenix Suns that might not convey until 2021.
Washington gets Cavs forward Sam Dekker and deals away Jason Smith and a future second-round pick.
The deal potentially could save the Bucks about $19 million next season if they don’t keep Hill, who has only $1 million of a $19 million deal guaranteed. Both Henson and Dellavedova, who won a title with the Cavs in 2016, have one year and about $10 million left on their contracts.
Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson has been fined $15,000 for making an “inappropriate gesture” to a spectator.
Milwaukee has several major free agents next summer including Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe and Malcolm Brogdon, and this puts the Bucks in a better financial position to keep their team intact.
The deal came together Friday in time for teams to be able to re-package players in other trades before February’s trade deadline. That was an impetus for getting the deal done now. The Cavs have been very aggressive in looking to move out veterans for future picks, now having acquired four future picks in the past 10 days, including a trade that sent Kyle Korver to Utah.
Hill is averaging 10.8 points and shooting 46 percent on 3-pointers, though he missed 11 games with a shoulder injury. Dekker, who is from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and starred at Wisconsin, has been out for more than a month with an ankle injury. He’s played only nine games.
Henson hasn’t played in a month, recently had wrist surgery and is expected to miss several months. Dellavedova has been limited to 12 games this season due to an ankle injury and is averaging a career-low 1.7 points.