Charlotte Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins announced today that the team has acquired center Theo Ratliff from the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for a protected second-round draft pick in 2016.

The 6-10 Ratliff is in his 15th NBA season, with career averages of 7.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.5 blocked shots, 0.6 assists and 0.5 steals in 25.7 minutes in 772 games played for Detroit, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Portland, Boston, Minnesota and San Antonio. The 18th overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft, Ratliff was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 1999 and 2004 and was voted the starting center for the Eastern Conference in the 2001 NBA All-Star Game but was unable to play due to a stress fracture in his right wrist suffered four days before the game.

In 21 games played with San Antonio this season, Ratliff is averaging 1.6 points, 1.9 rebounds, 0.9 blocked shots and 0.4 assists in 8.7 minutes.

Ratliff, who previously played for Bobcats Head Coach Larry Brown in Philadelphia from 1997-2001, led the NBA in blocked shots per game in 2000-01, 2002-03 and 2003-04. One of only seven players in NBA history to lead the league in blocked shots at least three times, his 1,920 career blocked shots ranks 18th all-time and fifth among active players. He is the last NBA player to record at least 300 blocked shots in a season, finishing with 307 in 2003-04, and is the only player to do so since Dikembe Mutumbo in 1995-96.

Ratliff has also played in 39 career playoff games, averaging 5.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocked shots in 21.2 minutes for Detroit and Philadelphia.

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has acquired a protected 2010 second-round draft pick from the Sacramento Kings in exchange for guard/forward Dominic McGuire and cash considerations.

“This trade continues the process of putting us in a more positive financial position,” said Grunfeld.

McGuire was initially acquired by Washington with the 47th overall pick in the second round of the 2007 NBA Draft.  In 190 career games (58 starts) with Washington, McGuire has averaged 2.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game.

Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News reports:

The NBA’s trade deadline nearly came and passed Thursday with the Spurs staying on the sidelines, but a last-minute deal that will send Theo Ratliff to the Charlotte Bobcats was awaiting official NBA approval late Thursday afternoon, according to league sources.

The Spurs are expected to receive a future draft pick from the Bobcats, giving them some relief from the luxury tax they will have to play this summer. Under NBA collective bargaining rules, only $825,497 of Ratliff’s veteran minimum salary of $1.3 million counted against their salary cap. Combined with the recent buyout of Marcus Haislip’s two-year deal, the Spurs will have saved about $1.7 million in luxury tax payments.

The Chicago Bulls traded Tyrus Thomas to the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for Ronald “Flip” Murray and Acie Law.  Chicago also received a future first round draft pick from Charlotte.

In a related move, the Bulls have released forward Chris Richard.  Richard, signed to a second 10-day contact on Feb. 15, appeared in five games with Chicago and averaged 2.2 rpg, 4.6 rpg and 1.0 apg in 14.4 mpg.

The 6-10 Thomas is in his fourth NBA season after being selected by Portland with the fourth overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft and traded to Chicago on draft night.  In 254 career games with the Bulls, Thomas averaged 7.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 0.9 assists and 0.9 steals in 23.4 minutes.  Thomas posted career highs of 10.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, 1.2 steals and 27.5 minutes in 79 games played last season.

This season, Thomas is averaging 8.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, 1.4 steals and 1.1 assists in 23.4 minutes in 29 games played.  He missed 22 games from November 7-December 22 with a left radius fracture.

Thomas has also played in 17 career playoff games, averaging 6.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 1.0 steal and 0.7 assists.  He started all seven postseason games for the Bulls last season, averaging 9.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.9 blocks, 1.0 steal and 0.9 assists against Boston.

Murray (6-3, 200) is currently in his eighth season out of Shaw University.  He appeared in 46 games (one start) for the Bobcats this season, and averaged 9.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.8 apg and 21.6 mpg.  Originally drafted by Milwaukee in the second round (42nd overall) in 2002, he has also played for Seattle, Cleveland, Detroit, Indiana and Atlanta.  In 458 NBA games (91 starts), he has posted 9.9 ppg, 2.3 apg and 2.0 rpg in 22.7 mpg.  The 30-year old Murray has been to the postseason four times, where he has averaged 6.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.7 apg and 23.4 mpg in 40 playoff games (five starts).

Law (6-3, 202), selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 11th overall pick in 2007, is in his third season by way of Texas A&M.  In 14 games this year, he has averaged 3.4 ppg in 7.0 mpg.  For his career, he has played in 125 games (seven starts) and averaged 3.6 ppg, 1.7 apg and 0.9 rpg in 13.2 mpg.  He has also appeared in 13 career playoff games, and averaged 2.2 ppg and 1.1 apg in 6.8 mpg.  Law, 25, began this season with Golden State before he was traded to Charlotte in a four-player deal on Nov. 16.

Chicago’s roster now stands at 15.

Ross Siler of the Salt Lake Tribune reports (via blog):

In a deal completed five minutes before the NBA’s 1 p.m. MDT trade deadline, the Jazz sent Ronnie Brewer to Memphis for a protected future first-round draft pick, general manager Kevin O’Connor said.

The Jazz’s starting shooting guard for the past three seasons, Brewer first was linked to Memphis in trade talk last month. The pick the Jazz will receive belongs to the Grizzlies and  first can be conveyed beginning in 2011.

By trading Brewer, the Jazz will ease their logjam of wing players, freeing minutes for Wesley Matthews, C.J. Miles and Kyle Korver. The Jazz also will ease their luxury-tax burden, with the Grizzlies having the cap space to absorb Brewer’s $2.7 million salary.

Ross Siler of the Salt Lake Tribune reports (via blog):

The primary reason for the trade, of course, is that Brewer plays the same position as Kyle Korver, C.J. Miles, Wesley Matthews and — to a lesser extent — Andrei Kirilenko.

Coach Jerry Sloan was having a difficult time finding minutes for everyone, so somebody had to either be traded or buried on the bench alongside young “bigs” Kosta Koufos and Kyrylo Fesenko.

The New Jersey Nets have needed a new home, whether in Newark or Brooklyn or your backyard, and good news that’s been expected for a while is finally materializing: The team will, temporarily at least, play in what InsideHoops.com considers a terrific basketball arena in Newark, New Jersey.

The Newark Star-Ledger reports:

The Nets are making a fast break to Newark.

After months of speculation over whether the struggling NBA team would leave Izod Center in the Meadowlands for a two-year stay at the new Prudential Center in Newark, a deal was struck today to allow the Nets to break their lease for $4 million and move to Newark, according to officials involved in the negotiations.

The early termination fees could be offset in part by advertising, suite revenue and other credits.

The agreement came after the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority voted in secret to approve the deal at a special meeting this morning. A formal announcement is expected later today by Gov. Chris Christie.

The plan will have the Nets and Devils playing together in the state’s largest city. The move is temporary, with the Nets still planning to move to a new arena in Brooklyn by the start of the 2012 basketball season.

We consider this fantastic news, for the Nets and all basketball fans around the area. Both New Yorkers and New Jersey residents will find it easier to get to the arena. InsideHoops.com attended a Nets preseason game in the Prudential Center, and we loved the building. It’s clean, a great basketball arena, and very easy to get to by public transportation.

UPDATE: NETS CONFIRM TEAM WILL MOVE TO NEWARK

Brett Yormark, the Nets President and CEO, released the following statement regarding the Nets’ upcoming interim relocation to Newark’s Prudential Center, which will begin with the upcoming 2010-11 NBA season. This precedes the team’s permanent move to Brooklyn, planned for 2012.

“Our planned interim relocation to the Prudential Center in Newark represents one of the many positive steps to take place for Nets Basketball during the next few months. This temporary move not only gives our fans a state-of-the-art arena with the first-class amenities common in most NBA buildings, but also provides our players with a great atmosphere in which to play.

“Additionally, before we make our permanent move to Brooklyn, this interim relocation to Newark enables us to continue our goal to further regionalize the team, not only in Essex and Union Counties, but also in New York City due to the direct mass transit access available between Manhattan and the Prudential Center. We are confident that the NBA family will see this as a positive move, as we do. We look forward to being part of the community in Newark and will continue our extensive community outreach in the area.

“I would like to sincerely thank Governor Christie for his support and leadership in making our interim relocation to the Prudential Center a reality. I would also like to express my appreciation to Mayor Booker and Jeff Vanderbeek for their steadfast efforts throughout this process.”

Marc Stein and Chad Ford of ESPN report:

The Miami Heat spent the final hour-plus before the NBA’s Thursday afternoon trading deadline trying to convince the Utah Jazz to surrender Carlos Boozer, according to NBA front-office sources.

The Jazz, though, would not relent before the trade buzzer sounded, one source close to the process told ESPN The Magazine’s Ric Bucher.

One source with knowledge of Utah’s thinking told ESPN.com from the start of Thursday’s discussions that a trade was “unlikely,” but the teams were still talking entering the last half-hour before the deadline hit.

ESPN.com reported earlier Thursday that the Heat and Jazz had opened discussions on a Boozer deal. Yahoo! Sports reported that the Wizards were recruited as a third team to try to help facilitate the deal, but one source told ESPN.com that the Wizards were no longer involved in the talks.

The Charlotte Bobcats announced today that center DeSagana Diop will miss approximately 1-2 weeks due to a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee. Diop suffered the injury, which was initially diagnosed as a right knee bruise, in the third quarter of Tuesday’s game against New Jersey. Diop was re-examined on Wednesday by team physician Dr. Glenn Perry, who diagnosed the injury as an MCL sprain and ordered an MRI to confirm the diagnosis.

The Charlotte Bobcats, who became the NBA’s 30th franchise when they joined the league in 2004-05, return to action Friday when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7:00 pm ET.  The game can be seen on SportSouth and heard on WFNZ 610 AM.

The Milwaukee Bucks have acquired center Primoz Brezec and guard Royal Ivey (6-4, 215) from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for center Francisco Elson and guard Jodie Meeks, General Manager John Hammond announced today.  Additionally, the Bucks obtained Philadelphia’s second round draft pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.

Brezec (7-1, 255) is currently in his eighth NBA season and sports career averages of 7.4 points and 4.0 rebounds in 328 regular season games (214 starts).  Last season, Brezec played for Lottomatica Virtus Roma in the Italian League where he teamed with current Bucks rookie guard Brandon Jennings.  In 29 games in the Italian League, Brezec averaged 8.2 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 63.2 percent from the field.  In 14 Euroleague games, he tallied 9.4 points and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 55.4 percent from the field.

A native of Postojna, Slovenia, Brezec, 30, began his professional career in the Slovenian League with Kraski (1996-98) and Olimpija Ljubljana (1998-2001). He was selected by Indiana in the first round (27th overall) of the 2000 NBA Draft and played three seasons (2001-2004) for the Pacers before being selected by Charlotte in the 2004 NBA Expansion Draft.  Brezec played three-plus seasons in Charlotte before finishing out the 2007-08 campaign with Detroit and Toronto.  He signed with Philadelphia prior to the start of the 2009-10 season and appeared in seven games for the 76ers.

Ivey, 28, is in his sixth NBA season and second stint with the Bucks.  The Harlem, NY, native spent the 2007-08 campaign in Milwaukee and played in a career-high 75 games (20 starts) and averaged 5.6 points, 2.1 assists and 1.6 rebounds – all career-high totals.  Originally drafted by the Atlanta Hawks with the 37th selection out of Texas in the 2004 NBA Draft, Ivey played three seasons in Atlanta before signing with the Bucks.  He signed with Philadelphia prior to the 2008-09 season and has played 97 games for the 76ers over the last season-plus.  In 360 career NBA regular season games (109 starts), Ivey has averaged 3.7 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.

Elson, 33, signed a free agent contract with Milwaukee prior to the 2008-09 season. Currently in his seventh NBA season, Elson began his NBA career in Denver in 2003 and has also played with San Antonio (2006-2008) and Seattle (2008).  In 404 career NBA regular season games (148 starts), Elson has averaged 3.9 points and 3.8 rebounds. Elson is the first Dutch national to win an NBA Championship (Spurs – 2007).

Meeks, 22, was selected by Milwaukee after his junior year at the University of Kentucky with the 41st pick in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft.  He played in 41 games for the Bucks this season and averaged 4.1 points and 1.8 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per game.  As a junior for the Wildcats, Meeks set a school single-game scoring record with 54 points, including 10 three-point field goals and 14-of-14 from the line. He set Kentucky’s all-time single-season record for three-pointers made (117) in his junior year.

Howard Kussoy of the New York Post reports:

A member of the Heat since being signed on Jan. 7, after clearing waivers, Alston suffered with the Nets as they opened the season with an NBA-record 18 straight losses. Less than a year removed from playing in the NBA Finals for the Orlando Magic, Alston remained with the Nets as their record hit 3-30.

The indignity would soon end, as Alston escaped NBA’s Shawshank, crawling through a river of losses and coming out clean on the other side, finding serenity on the beach.

“The one common question I always get [from other players] is ‘How tough was it? or ‘It must’ve been tough.’ It was,” Alston said. “I don’t think any player in this league wants to go through setting the record for the most consecutive losses and then being where they’re at now. You played as hard as you can and you did everything to stay in the game and then you’d still lose the game. That was the hard part.”

Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group reports:

The victory, only No. 15 in a lost season, was comfortably in hand. Yet just before the Warriors had completed a 130-98 rout of the Sacramento Kings, every player on the bench — including all of the injured players — was on his feet.

And when guard C.J. Watson’s left-handed layup rolled in, giving him a career-high 40 points, the players erupted in delight. It was a moment that showed why these players are happy that the team is unlikely to make a trade by today’s noon deadline.

“Things are feeling good,” rookie guard Stephen Curry said. “You can tell. Everybody’s smiling, having fun. “… Hopefully this whole unit’s going to be back next year.”

Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo report:

The Houston Rockets have reached an agreement in principle to acquire Kevin Martin from the Sacramento Kings, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

The proposed deal has the Rockets sending Tracy McGrady, Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey to the Kings for Martin, Sergio Rodriguez, Hilton Armstrong and Kenny Thomas.

Two league sources tell Y! Sports the Kings are unsure whether they will keep McGrady or expand the trade to three teams and send him to the New York Knicks.

McGrady’s agent, Arn Tellem, had worked diligently with the Rockets to broker a trade for T-Mac to the Knicks, and sources say he’s now determined to get him out of Sacramento. Tellem also represents the Kings’ prized rookie, Tyreke Evans.