Bucks swing deals to surround Giannis with veterans

Point guard Jrue Holiday is being traded from New Orleans to Milwaukee, which is aiming to give twotime reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo the improved roster that he seeks with the decision on his supermax contract extension looming, a source said Tuesday.

The Pelicans are getting Eric Bledsoe, George Hill and a package of future first-round draft picks from the Bucks, the person told The Associated Press.

ESPN, The Athletic and The New York Times first reported details of the Holiday trade. ESPN also said the Bucks were executing a second trade with Sacramento, with Bogdan Bogdanovic and Justin James going to Milwaukee for Donte DiVincenzo, D.J. Wilson and Ersan Ilyasova.

The trade of Holiday was the second blockbuster involving a point guard since the league allowed transactions to begin again Monday. Chris Paul was traded to the Phoenix Suns by the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier Monday; Paul and Holiday had been mentioned throughout the offseason as point guards who could be moved and were expected to be in high demand.

Hours after the Paul deal got done, Holiday was headed to Milwaukee. The Bucks’ message is clear. They want to win a title, and they want to give Antetokounmpo enough incentive to sign his supermax extension — one that will be worth more than $200 million for five years — before Dec. 21. When Antetokounmpo was announced as the back-to-back MVP in September, he stated his intention openly.

“I’m happy for this, I’m happy for this award,” Antetokounmpo said at the time. “But I want more. ... I’ve got to keep getting better. I want to be a champion.” DELAYED DRAFT FINALLY ARRIVES >> The coronavirus pandemic wiped out the traditional end of a college career and the usual start of a pro one. Players such as Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball and James Wiseman should be about a month into their rookie seasons by now, but their plans were put on hold.

After multiple delays, the NBA draft finally arrives today.

The draft is usually held in June in New York, where Adam Silver announces the first-round picks. The top players sit at tables in the front of the arena and when their names are called. This time, Silver will be announcing the picks from the ESPN campus in Bristol, Connecticut.

ROCKETS DEAL COVINGTON TO BLAZERS >> Veteran forward Robert Covington appears headed to his fourth team in just over two years as the Houston Rockets agreed to a trade that would send him to the Portland Trail Blazers, ESPN reported.

The Rockets reportedly would receive the 16th overall pick in today’s draft, another future first-round draft pick and veteran swingman Trevor Ariza.