Nets acquire Yi and Simmons, send Jefferson to Bucks

By Larry Fine

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New Jersey Nets acquired forwards Yi Jianlian of China and Bobby Simmons from the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday in exchange for high-scoring forward Richard Jefferson.

"We feel that Yi can be a very special player," Nets president Rod Thorn said in a statement on the team's Web site (www.nba.com/nets) about acquiring the Chinese player just before Thursday's NBA Draft.

"He is a 20-year old, seven footer who shoots the ball extremely well, and he is an excellent addition to our frontcourt.

"Bobby Simmons is a veteran NBA player who has averaged 10 points for his career, and should be a rotation player for us."

Yi, the first international player taken in last year's draft when he was chosen sixth by the Bucks, averaged 8.6 points and 5.2 rebounds in his rookie season. He showed his potential with a 29-point burst against Charlotte in December.

Jefferson, the 13th overall pick in the 2001 draft, played seven seasons with the Nets and averaged 17.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists. Last season Jefferson, 28, averaged a career-high 22.6 points, ninth highest in the NBA.

"I want to thank Richard for his contributions to the Nets over the past seven years. He was a member of Nets teams that went to two NBA Finals, won two Eastern Conference championships and four Atlantic Division titles," Thorn said.

Milwaukee general manager John Hammond said he thought Jefferson could help the Bucks (26-56) improve right away.

DYNAMIC PERFORMER

"Richard Jefferson is a hard-working, proven, dynamic performer at the forward position," said Hammond.

"He's been a winner, having gone to the playoffs in six of his seven seasons, and we're excited to bring him to Milwaukee."

Simmons, a six-year NBA veteran, appeared in 71 games for Milwaukee last season, averaging 7.6 points and 3.2 rebounds.

The trade created an estimated $10-plus million in long-term savings for the Nets, who began to re-tool their roster to position themselves for future free agent acquisitions when they traded high-priced guard Jason Kidd to Dallas in February.

The deal also allowed Yi to move to a larger media market with a sizeable Chinese population, ingredients lacking in Milwaukee, who had to coax the lanky forward to sign with them last year.

"With Yi, we feel his upside is very up," said Thorn, whose new player will be competing for China this summer at the Beijing Olympics. "We feel strongly he's going to be a real good player for us. We feel that Yi can be a very special player."

(Editing by Martin Petty)