The San Antonio Spurs made the biggest move, acquiring the high-scoring forwardRichard Jefferson from the Milwaukee Bucks for the role players Kurt Thomas, Bruce Bowen and Fabricio Oberto. The Bucks immediately dealt Oberto to Detroit for Amir Johnson.

The Washington Wizards added scoring punch by acquiring Mike Miller and Randy Foye from the Minnesota Timberwolves for the No. 5 pick in the draft and the reserves Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila and Oleksiy Pecherov, according to multiple news media outlets.

The Spurs, one of the dominant teams of the decade, slipped the last two years with an aging supporting cast, but they received a infusion of talent by adding Jefferson, who has averaged 17.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in his eight-year career. He will join a potent core of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili to form one of the best lineups in the N.B.A.

The Spurs gave up little in the deal. Bowen and Oberto, with only partly guaranteed contracts, were likely to be waived this summer. All three players are nearing the end of their careers. The Bucks made the move purely for financial reasons, freeing themselves of the two years and $29.2 million left on Jefferson’s deal.

Washington, which missed the playoffs this year, is positioned for a quick rebound if Gilbert Arenas returns to health. Miller is a gifted 3-point shooter. Foye will provide backcourt depth.

The Timberwolves now have four first-round draft picks, including the fifth and sixth selections, putting them in position to retool their roster. They could conceivably package their top two picks to move up in the draft and select Ricky Rubio, a Spanish point guard.

KNICKS EXTEND TWO OFFERS David Lee and Nate Robinson received qualifying contract offers last week from the Knicks, making both players restricted free agents this summer.

The move was not announced by the Knicks, although it was considered a formality. The players’ agents confirmed that they received the paperwork just after the N.B.A. finals ended.

The restricted free-agency designation means that the Knicks have the right to match any offer that Lee or Robinson receives after hitting the market July 1.

Had the Knicks not made the qualifying offers by the end of this month, Lee and Robinson would have become unrestricted free agents.

The one-year qualifying offer to Lee was about $2.7 million and to Robinson about $2.9 million, based on the rookie salary scale. If they do not sign with another team, or come to terms with the Knicks, they can accept the qualifying offers and become unrestricted free agents next summer.

Lee, an energetic rebounder, is coming off a breakout season. The Knicks seem determined to keep him, provided doing so does not jeopardize their salary-cap space in 2010. A handful of teams with cap space this summer — including Detroit, Portland and Oklahoma City — could pursue Lee and push up his price.

“I think there will be a lot of interest,” said Mark Bartelstein, Lee’s agent. “There’s not many times a guy at his age and his productivity gets to the market.”

If Lee’s asking price becomes too steep, the Knicks also have the option of orchestrating a sign-and-trade deal. Lee has said he prefers to remain with the Knicks.

“I think they want to keep him very badly, but they’ve got different dynamics they have to deal with, their plans for 2010 and all that,” Bartelstein said. “We just have to see if it’s doable.” HOWARD BECK

source : http://www.nytimes.com