Sports/Olympics / Basketball

Mavs acquire Johnson in three-player trade with Pacers
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-07-25 08:27

NEW YORK - The Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks acquired point guard Anthony Johnson from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for three players in a swap announced on Monday.

Indiana received veteran guard Darrell Armstrong, swingman Rawle Marshall and forward Josh Powell from Dallas.

Johnson, 31, averaged 9.2 points and 4.3 assists last season, and boosted his production in the playoffs, where he averaged 20 points and five rebounds in six games.

Regarded as a strong defensive player, Johnson scored a career high 40 points in Game Six of Indiana's first-round series against the New Jersey Nets.

Armstrong, 38, who played most of his career with Orlando, has career averages of 10.1 points and 4.1 assists per game. He played 62 games with the Mavs last season, averaging 2.1 points and 1.4 assists.

Powell played 37 games for Dallas last season, averaging 3.2 points and 2.2 rebounds. Marshall played in 23 games, averaging 3.1 points and 1.3 rebounds. Both players were signed by the Mavericks as rookie free agents.

"Darrell Armstrong is a good fit, a solid professional," Pacers head of basketball operations Larry Bird said in a statement.

"Both Powell and Marshall are young and talented players who possibly can help us and we're excited to take a look at them. Their experience with a championship-caliber team like Dallas last season gives them the mentality of what it takes to win at the highest level."