INDIANAPOLIS, June 13 -- The Indiana Pacers traded starting point guard Mark Jackson and reserve shooting guard Ricky Pierce to the Denver Nuggets Thursday for versatile guard Jalen Rose and swingman Reggie Williams. The teams also exchanged first round picks in the upcoming draft. The Pacers receive the 10th overall pick in the June 26 NBA draft while the Nuggets now own the 23rd overall selection. 'We made this trade in order to improve our draft position, get more flexible and to get younger,' said Pacers president Donnie Walsh. 'It was difficult to trade Mark and Ricky because of the contributions they made to our franchise. We got a very flexible young player in Jalen Rose and a fine shooter in Reggie Williams.' The Pacers were expected to make some changes after losing in the first round of the NBA playoffs to the Atlanta Hawks. The trade is the first in what promises to be a major off-season overhaul for the Nuggets, who finished a disappointing 35-47 in 1995-96. The 31-year-old Jackson will be joining his fourth NBA team in nine years. Jackson was outplayed by Atlanta's Mookie Blaylock in the first round playoff loss to the Hawks and was deemed expendable by the Pacers with the development of Travis Best, Indiana's first round pick in 1995. Jackson averaged 10.0 points and 7.8 assists in 81 games this past season. The 36-year-old Pierce will be joining his sixth NBA team. Pierce averaged 9.7 points in 76 games for Indiana in 1995-96.
The 23-year-old Rose just completed his second season with the Nuggets after being selected in the first round with the 13th overall pick in the 1994 draft. The 6-8, 210-pound Rose averaged 9.1 points and 5.4 assists this past season. The 32-year-old Williams will be joining his fifth NBA team. He missed 30 games due to injuries this past season and averaged 4.6 points in 52 games in 1995-96. Williams is a nine-year veteran with a 12.7 career scoring average.