Two contenders in the Eastern Conference — the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers — are trading backup guards. The 76ers have dealt guard Patrick Beverley to the Bucks for Cameron Payne and a second-round pick.

Bucks receive: 

• Patrick Beverley

76ers receive: 

• Cameron Payne
• 2027 second-round pick

What trade means for Bucks: Milwaukee went through its biggest overhaul of sorts at the end of January when it fired coach Adrian Griffin and hired Doc Rivers to fill that role. The Bucks (33-18) were among the leaders in the Eastern Conference before that trade as the No. 3 seed.

Beverley will slot in behind All-Star guard Damian Lillard as Milwaukee tries to close the gap on the East-leading Boston Celtics (39-12) and No. 2-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers (33-16).

Beverley’s resume: The veteran guard is known for his fiery play, hard-charging defense and a playing style that has gotten under the skin of many opponents. This season, he is averaging 6.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists per game while shooting 43.2% overall (his highest mark since 2015-16). The move to Milwaukee will mark the sixth team Beverley has been on in the last four seasons.

What trade means for 76ers: Philadelphia made perhaps the first splash of trade deadline day when it agreed to a swap with the Indiana Pacers for Buddy Hield. This move for Payne will provide Philadelphia with a solid, veteran backup after it traded off Beverley.

Payne’s resume: After spending the past four seasons with the Phoenix Suns, Payne signed with the Bucks in the offseason. He was a key performer for the Suns’ 2021 NBA Finals team as the primary backup to Chris Paul and has established himself as one of the NBA’s top reserve point guards.

This season, Payne is averaging 6.2 ppg, 1.3 rpg and 2.3 apg while shooting 45.5% overall and 39.7% on 3-pointers.