Charlotte Hornets acquire Miles Plumlee from the Milwaukee Bucks

The Charlotte Hornets acquired center Miles Plumlee from Milwaukee Thursday, sending big men Spencer Hawes and Roy Hibbert to the Bucks.

Plumlee, 28, who played college basketball at Duke, signed a contract with the Bucks last summer for four years and about $50 million. He has played little this season, averaging 2.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and about 10 minutes per game.

The Hornets have been in a free fall, losing 11 of 14 games and six in a row, following Wednesday’s loss to the Golden State Warriors. Hibbert, who signed a one-year, $5 million contract last summer, clearly wasn’t working out, to a great extent because of an ailing knee. Hawes, who started against the Warriors, has one season left - a player option - on his current contract for about $6 million.

“We felt like we needed more physicality and athleticism on the front line, and those are two things that Miles can bring,” Hornets general manager Rich Cho said of Plumlee, who is 6-foot-11 and 250 pounds. “Those are two of his strengths. He might not be as well known as other guys, but he has been in the league for a while.

We’ve seen him a ton. I think he’s pretty well known within NBA circles. Maybe not with fans out there as much, but he’s pretty well known within the NBA. We need some more help on the defensive end, too. Rebounding and shot-blocking, he’ll bring that, too. He’s a good fit, culture-wise, with our guys, too.”

The Hornets have particularly struggled at center, with Cody Zeller missing the past five games with a quad contusion. The Hornets hope Zeller can play Saturday against the Utah Jazz, but even if he does play, he figures to to be limited physically.

“(Zeller and Plumlee) have a lot of similarities,” said Cho. “They’re both very athletic, good defenders and they do a lot of the dirty work. They set screens and are good in the transition, uptempo game.

“When Miles comes in for Cody or when Cody comes in for Miles, it will be somewhat of a seamless transition.”

The Hornets plan to sign Mike Tobey, 22, off the Greensboro Swarm Development League roster to a 10-day contract Friday. Tobey, who is 6-11 and 252 pounds, played in college at Virginia (2012-16).

ESPN first reported these trade discussions.

Plumlee, who is 6-foot-11, is in his fifth NBA season. The Hornets will be his fourth team. He started with the Indiana Pacers, then played for the Phoenix Suns and the Bucks. His best season was 2013-14 with the Suns, when he averaged 8.1 points and 7.8 rebounds and started 79 of a possible 82 games.

Plumlee hasn’t had much of a role with the Bucks this season. He’s made 12 starts and played in 32 games.

Hibbert did not play in Wednesday’s road loss to the Warriors.

The NBA’s trade deadline is Feb. 23. It’s common practice for the Hornets to make a deal at or near that deadline, including successful trades that acquired Courtney Lee and Josh McRoberts in past years.

This story was originally published February 2, 2017 at 3:26 PM with the headline "Charlotte Hornets acquire Miles Plumlee from the Milwaukee Bucks."