INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Pacers, long in search of team chemistry, completed a long-rumored deal Tuesday with Minnesota, dealing forward Chuck Person and guard Micheal Williams to the Timberwolves for guard Pooh Richardson and forward Sam Mitchell.
The teams called news conferences Tuesday night to announce the trade.
Person, the 1987 Rookie of the Year, averaged 18.5 points and 5.3 rebounds last year, and is signed through the 1996-97 season for more than $2 million a year. Earlier this summer, the 6-2 26-year-old Williams signed a seven-year, $14-million deal after averaging 15 points and 8.2 assists in 1991-92.
Richardson, a three-year veteran, averaged 16.5 points and 8.3 assists last season. Mitchell, after playing two season in the Continental Basketball Association, has played three years in Minnesota, scoring 10.1 points per game and rating second on the team in rebounding last season.
Indiana is considered one of the NBA's underachieving teams, considering the talent base and its failure to get beyond the first round of the playoffs three straight years.
Talks regarding the trade started midway through last season, when the Pacers struggled to a 15-28 start before rallying to a 40-42 mark. Instead of making the trade, the Pacers named Person as their locker room and on-court leader the rest of the season.
The Timberwolves, one of the NBA's lowest-scoring teams since entering the league, need the offensive punch Person and Williams provide.
