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AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The Detroit Pistons acquired forward
Clifford Robinson from the Phoenix Suns on Friday for Jud Buechler
and John Wallace.
The teams agreed to the trade in principle, but the deal cannot
be consummated until July 18 due to salary-cap restrictions.
"We are excited to bring Cliff Robinson to the Pistons," team
president Joe Dumars said in a statement. "He's a talented veteran
player that brings playoff experience and toughness to our
roster."
Robinson averaged 16.4 points last season.
The Suns made the deal a day after saying they are trading point
guard Jason Kidd to the New Jersey Nets for Stephon Marbury.
"This is a step in a different direction," said Bryan
Colangelo, the Suns' president and general manager.
"We feel this makes us younger, improves our outside shooting
and, gives us considerable flexibility with regards to the salary
cap in future years, and more importantly, helps the Suns avoid the
tax threshold for the upcoming season."
Swingman Buechler and forward Wallace, both reserves, joined the
Pistons two years ago. Buechler signed as a free agent, and
Wallace, a 1996 Syracuse graduate, was involved in a trade with
Dallas for Christian Laettner.
Buechler averaged 3.9 points while shooting 41.6 percent from
3-point range last season. Wallace averaged 5.9 points and 2.1
rebounds.
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