The Charlotte Bobcats have acquired Milwaukee Bucks guards Luke Ridnour and Gary Neal in exchange for Ramon Sessions and Jeff Adrien, Marc Stein of ESPN reports.
Gary Neal, Luke Ridnour traded to Charlotte Bobcats for Ramon Sessions, Jeff Adrien
The former Spurs guard will provide much-needed depth at the shooting guard position.
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
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Milwaukee signed Neal to a two-year, $6.5 million deal — $3.25 million per season — this past offseason, but things went south as the team struggled out of the gate, and the Bucks began to shop him in January after an incident with Larry Sanders. Neal has dealt with injuries and has struggled with his shot for the league-worst Bucks, shooting just 39 percent overall. The 29-year-old is still at a respectable 36 percent from three, though he’s shooting better than 39 percent from deep throughout his career.
Neal has proven he can be a valuable commodity for a playoff team as recently as last season, especially in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, when he erupted for 24 points in a Spurs blowout win over the Heat. He was a streaky scorer in San Antonio, but has always been a three-point threat and someone who must be accounted for on the perimeter.
Ridnour, who’s averaging 5.7 points and 3.4 assists in 21 minutes per game, will replace Sessions as a solid backup point guard to Kemba Walker. Sessions is on the hook for $5 million this season, and the inclusion of Ridnour in this deal reportedly convinced Bucks owner Herb Kohl to take on Sessions, who’s averaging 10.5 points and 3.7 assists in just over 23 minutes per night.
The 6’7, 245-pound Adrien has averaged only 10.2 minutes per game for the Bobcats, but he will provide some depth in the frontcourt for Milwaukee.
The Bobcats are making a run at the postseason, and they lack depth at the shooting guard position. Neal and Ridnour should be solid fits.
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