ATLANTA, Aug. 2 -- Less than two weeks after being arrested for assault and illegal possession of a firearm, two-time All-Star forward Glenn Robinson was traded by the Milwaukee Bucks to the Atlanta Hawks Friday for forwards Toni Kukoc and Leon Smith and a first-round pick in the 2003 draft.
The Bucks had been shopping the 29-year-old Robinson throughout the offseason after failing to make the playoffs in 2001-02. But it appeared those trade plans were dashed when Robinson was arrested on July 21 for shoving his former fiancee in her house.
Apparently, that didn't bother the Hawks, who jumped on the chance to acquire a scoring forward who averaged 21.1 points in his eight-year career with the Bucks.
"We don't feel as if (the arrest) is going to be a situation that is going to cause him continued problems," Hawks director of basketball operations Billy Knight said. "If you noticed, in all his statements concerning the incident, he apologized immediately. He knows he was out of line, he knows what he did was wrong and he immediately apologized for it."
The Hawks will pair the 6-7, 235-pound Robinson inside with fellow forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim -- who was acquired last season -- and oft-injured center Theo Ratliff.
"It's extremely exciting to add a player of Glenn's capabilities, he's one of the premier offensive players in the league and I think his abilities will mesh well with Shareef and Theo," Hawks coach Lon Kruger said.
"(Robinson) addresses one of our specific weaknesses, which was the perimeter game," Hawks general manager Pete Babcock said.
Milwaukee was so determined to unload Robinson it settled for little in return. The Bucks originally hoped to use Robinson as bait to bring New York's Latrell Sprewell home to Milwaukee.
The top overall pick in the 1994 draft, Robinson has three years left on his contract after making $8.99 million last season.
"This is a hit for us salary cap-wise," admitted Hawks president Stan Kasten. "But much like the Gary Sheffield trade by the Braves last offseason, our company felt strongly about this deal when it was brought to our attention."
Nicknamed the "Big Dog," Robinson averaged 20.7 points in 66 games last season but was benched occasionally for extended periods by coach George Karl.
"There's no question that Glenn has been a very important part of our success these past four seasons, but the consensus was that we had to shake things up to avoid being complacent," Karl said.
Karl complimented Kukoc while perhaps taking a final jab at Robinson.
"This is a deal that gives us a veteran who can come in here and lead by example, play hard and help us play like an elite team," the coach said.
The 33-year-old Kukoc was a member of three straight championship teams with the Chicago Bulls from 1996-98 but averaged just 9.9 points and 3.7 rebounds last season and missed 23 games due to a fractured left wrist.
Kukoc will join his third team in less than two years after being acquired from Philadelphia in the deal for Dikembe Mutombo in February 2001. He will enter the final year of his contract.
In Milwaukee, the 6-11 Kukoc likely will serve as a valuable reserve behind Tim Thomas, who replaces Robinson in the starting lineup.
"Toni gives our coaching staff another versatile player, a playoff proven leader who handles the ball well and distributes the ball for a man his size," Bucks general manager Ernie Grunfeld said. "As importantly, this trade provides an opportunity for Tim Thomas and some of our younger players to make a greater contribution to our success."
Kukoc has averaged 13.3 points and 4.6 rebounds in his nine-year NBA career.
Smith was signed for the rest of the 2002 season last March 6 by the Hawks following two 10-day contracts and averaged 2.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in 14 games.
The 6-10 Smith has a troubled history. After entering the NBA out of high school, he was a 1999 first-round pick of San Antonio, who traded him to Dallas.
Smith never played a game for the Mavericks as he was arrested twice, attempted suicide and was placed in a mental institution. The Mavs released him on Feb. 4, 2000.
But Smith made an impressive comeback and excelled in the Continental Basketball Association, averaging 16.8 points and 15.5 rebounds before signing with the Hawks.
The Bucks will receive the higher of Atlanta's two first-round picks in the 2003 draft.
Robinson concluded his Bucks' career ranked second in team history with 12,010 points and a 21.1 per game average. He trails only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and is second in three-pointers made (494), fifth in rebounds (3,519) and third in minutes (21,762). |end| Content: 15008000 15008001
