Ridnour comes to the Bucks after five seasons in Seattle. He was drafted by the Sonics with the 14th overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. (Getty)

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August 13, 2008

MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee Bucks have acquired guard Luke Ridnour, guard Damon Jones and guard/forward Adrian Griffin in a three-team trade with Cleveland and Oklahoma City (formerly the Seattle SuperSonics in 2007-08), General Manager John Hammond announced today. As part of the deal, the Bucks will send guard Mo Williams to Cleveland and forward Desmond Mason to Oklahoma City. Joe Smith moves from Cleveland to Oklahoma City to complete the trade.

“Our challenge from day one has been to shape our roster in a way that our fans will see a team that is competitive, that plays hard every night and has a chance to win,” said Hammond. “We feel this trade continues to move us toward that goal for this season and beyond.”

Ridnour (6-2, 175) was drafted by Seattle in the first round of the 2003 NBA Draft (14th overall). The five-year pro appeared in 61 games (five starts) for the Sonics last season and averaged 6.4 points and 4.0 assists in 20.0 minutes per game. In the three seasons prior to the 2007-08 campaign, Ridnour started in 217 of the 232 games he appeared in and averaged 10.8 points, 6.0 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals. He has shot over 85 percent from the free throw line in three of his five seasons and owns a career percentage of .855. In 362 career games, the 27-year-old has averaged 9.1 points and 5.0 assists.

Jones (6-3, 195) returns to Milwaukee for his 11th season in the NBA. He was with the Bucks during the 2003-04 season and averaged 7.0 points and 5.8 assists in 82 games. The 31-year-old appeared in 67 games for Cleveland last season, helping the Cavaliers to their third straight postseason by averaging 6.5 points and 1.9 assists in 19.9 minutes per game while shooting 41.7 percent from three-point range. Jones has been to the playoffs in each of the last five seasons and has 59 postseason games on his NBA resume during which time he has averaged 5.6 points and 2.5 assists. In addition to the Bucks and Cavaliers, Jones has also spent time with New Jersey, Boston, Golden State, Dallas, Vancouver, Detroit, Sacramento, and Miami. He has appeared in 639 career games and owns averages of 6.7 points and 2.8 assists.

Griffin (6-5, 230) comes to Milwaukee having played for five teams over nine NBA seasons. He split time with Chicago and Seattle during the 2007-08 campaign, averaging 1.9 points and 1.7 rebounds in 35 total games. He has played in 477 career games with Boston, Dallas, Houston, Chicago and Seattle and owns career averages of 4.0 points and 3.2 rebounds. He has played in 48 playoff games, including 20 during Dallas’ run to the NBA Finals in 2006. The Seton Hall product spent three years in the CBA, the USBL and the Italian League following graduation before signing with the Celtics prior to the 1999-00 season.

“We thank Mo and Desmond for their contributions both on and off the court and wish them well with their new teams,” Hammond added.

Williams spent four seasons in Milwaukee after the Bucks acquired him following his rookie season with the Utah Jazz. He averaged 14.1 points and 5.7 assists in 272 games with the Bucks and ranks among the Bucks all-time leaders in three-pointers made (273, 5th), free throw percentage (.848, 7th) and three-point percentage (.364, 8th). Mason, an eight-year NBA veteran, averaged 9.7 points and 4.3 rebounds in 59 games for Milwaukee last season, his second stint with the team (2003-05). He owns career averages of 12.5 points and 4.3 rebounds and has appeared in 599 NBA games with Seattle, Milwaukee and New Orleans.