PORTLAND, Ore. -- Portland and New Jersey completed the first trade to affect the NBA draft Saturday with the Trail Blazers swapping center Sam Bowie and their No. 12 pick for Nets forward Buck Williams.
Bowie's playing career has been marked by four broken legs -- two with Kentucky and two with Portland -- and the deal will not be completed until the two players pass physicals.
New Jersey traded away its 1989 No. 1 pick to Chicago for Orlando Woolridge and wanted to continue a youth movement on the team. Portland also has a first-round pick, obtained from the New York Knicks for Kiki Vandeweghe. The draft will be Tuesday in New York.
Williams, 29, had been a stalwart on New Jersey since joining the team in 1981. He appeared in 74 games last season, but scored a career-low 13.0 points per game while averaging 9.4 rebounds.
'We're pleased to obtain a veteran power forward of All-Star quality to solidify our front line,' said Bucky Buckwalter, Blazers vice president of basketball operations. 'Buck Williams has excellent leadership qualities, is highly-respected and is a fierce competitor. He has great durability and comes to play every night.'
Bowie, the No. 2 pick of the 1984 draft, has been attempting a comeback after suffering a broken right tibia Nov. 7, 1986. He averaged 8.6 points and 5.3 rebounds in 20 games last season.
'We certainly will miss Sam Bowie, as a person as well as a player,' Buckwalter said. 'The work and dedication he has displayed in recent months is very much to be admired. We wish him the very best.'
Bowie, 28, was named to the NBA All-Rookie team in 1985 with a 10-point average and a team-high 8.6 rebounds over 76 games. Surgery on his left tibia limited to him to five games during the 1986-87 season; he returned to the active roster for Portland Feb. 9 of this year.
'Sam Bowie is a center with great talent who we feel is ready to begin playing regularly up to the projected levels that he had coming out of Kentucky,' said Nets General Manager Harry Weltman. 'We are obtaining a player with a tremendous amount of talent, recognizing the margin of risk involved. We are confident that Sam has overcome the injuries that have plagued his development over the last three seasons.'
Williams, the third pick in the 1981 draft from Maryland, was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1982 when he aveaged 15.5 points and 12.3 rebounds. He has been named to the All-Star team three times.
