Milwaukee gets Ellis in 5-man trade

MILWAUKEE - Reuters

Ellis (R) was named Western Conference Player of the Week on March 12. AP photo

The Milwaukee Bucks acquired Monta Ellis from the Golden State Warriors in a five-player swap between the teams on March 13 as the NBA’s impending trade deadline loomed into sharp focus.

The Bucks sent former number one pick Andrew Bogut along with Stephen Jackson to the Warriors in order to receive Ellis, forward Ekpe Udoh and center Kwame Brown.

The trading deadline ends today and the Bucks picked up Ellis in hopes of making a playoff push in the Eastern Conference.

While the move might initially be a setback for the Warriors (18-21) who are three games out of a playoff spot in the West, first-year coach Mark Jackson said he still expected his team to be competitive.

“The mission (for the playoffs) remains the same,” he told NBA.com.