MILWAUKEE (AP) - The Milwaukee Bucks acquired a fan favorite when they completed a trade Wednesday for Sacramento Kings forward Jon Brockman.
Bucks general manager John Hammond said he thinks Bucks fans will love Brockman, too.
“Any fan base anywhere will appreciate a player who plays with the type of energy he does,” Hammond told The Associated Press.
The Bucks completed a sign-and-trade deal for Brockman in exchange for forward Darnell Jackson and a 2011 second-round pick.
The 23-year-old Brockman averaged 2.8 points and 4.1 rebounds in limited minutes as a rookie with the Kings. He appeared in 52 games, including four starts, after being picked in the second round of last year’s draft.
“We’re excited about adding a player with his energy, his toughness and a player we think we can put on the floor and help us win games,” Hammond said.
Jackson began last year with Cleveland and appeared in 28 games before moving to Milwaukee when the Cavs waived him to bring back Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Jackson, a second-year forward, played in one game with the Bucks.
“We’re looking forward to greeting Darnell and moving forward with the rest of the roster over the course of the summer,” Kings’ president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie said.
Brockman participated in a live chat with The Seattle Times earlier Wednesday and said it was bittersweet leaving the Kings. He said he had just signed a new contract at the newspaper’s office before participating in the chat. That deal is worth about $3 million over the next three years.
“It really did feel like home. It was a great place to live and play, but I’m very excited about my new opportunity in Milwaukee,” Brockman wrote. “I truly am going to miss the support I received in Sacramento and am touched by all the messages, poems, calls I’ve gotten from people telling me I will be missed.”
Brockman was known as The Brockness Monster in Sacramento and has a Twitter audience of more than 320,000 followers on his verified account. Brockman had been told not to communicate on Twitter as the deal was being negotiated, but he wrote Wednesday that he was excited about his move.
“You have no idea how pumped I am to be in Milwaukee!” he wrote. “Great people, great city, great team!”
On the floor, the Bucks believe the rugged 6-foot-7 power forward also will be able to guard centers.
Milwaukee may not be done with all of its moves, either.
The Bucks signed Keyon Dooling to a two-year contract on Monday to be the backup point guard and Hammond said work remains to finish signing their draft picks.
Outside of Miami, Milwaukee has been one of the busiest teams this offseason, needing to fill eight roster spots following last season’s 46-36 run that ended with the franchise’s first playoff berth in four years.
Milwaukee traded Dan Gadzuric and Charlie Bell for small forward Corey Maggette in the days leading up to the draft, then selected forward Larry Sanders, guard Darington Hobson and forward Tiny Gallon.
The Bucks also struck two major deals in free agency, bringing back shooting guard John Salmons and signing power forward Drew Gooden to five-year contracts to add them to a core that includes center Andrew Bogut and point guard Brandon Jennings.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.