Trailblazers Acquired Sasha Pavlovic
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July 20, 2012, 3:17 pm
This is a Press Release from the Portland Trailblazers:The Portland Trail Blazers have acquired forward/guard Sasha Pavlovic, two 2013 second round draft picks and cash considerations from the Boston Celtics while sending the draft rights to guard Jon Diebler to the Houston Rockets as part of a three-team trade, it was announced today by General Manager Neil Olshey. Pavlovic (6-7, 235) was acquired via a sign-and-trade with the Celtics.
“This trade is a continuation of our pursuit of assets, while at the same time helping to bolster our roster,” said Olshey. “We’re looking forward to adding Sasha Pavlovic’s veteran leadership to our squad. He’s a very experienced wing player that we feel can add depth to our rotation.”
Pavlovic, 28, has played nine NBA seasons with Utah, Cleveland, Minnesota, Dallas, New Orleans and Boston. He holds career averages of 5.1 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 15.8 minutes in 528 games (141 starts).
A native of Bar, Montenegro, Pavlovic spent last season with the Celtics, averaging 2.7 points, 1.6 rebounds and 11.7 minutes in 45 games (seven starts). He averaged a career-high 9.0 points per game while shooting 40.5 percent from 3-point range as a member of the Cavaliers in 2006-07.
A member of Portland's 2012 NBA Summer League team, Diebler spent last season with Panionios of the Greek Basketball League, where he averaged a team-high 10.8 points to go with 3.5 rebounds and 25.6 minutes in 34 games. He shot 45.0 percent from 3-point distance and 84.6 percent from the foul line.
Diebler (6-6, 205) played four seasons at Ohio State from 2007-11, averaging 10.7 points (41.6% 3-PT), 2.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 32.5 minutes in 144 games (115 starts). The Big Ten's all-time leader in career 3-pointers made (374), Diebler shot 50.2 percent from beyond the arc as a senior in 2010-11.
Portland originally selected Diebler in the second round (51st overall pick) of the 2011 NBA Draft.
Pavlovic joins France’s Nicolas Batum, Spain’s Victor Claver and Great Britain’s Joel Freeland as the fourth international player on the Trail Blazers roster.
