Nuggets ship Boykins to Milwaukee

Forward Julius Hodge and cash considerations were also part of the deal in exchange for guard Steve Blake.

The move was made by Denver to keep the team from having to pay the luxury tax at the end of the season and to avoid an overabundance of guards. Boykins would have had reduced playing time in a Denver backcourt that saw the acquisition of Allen Iverson in December and will see the return of Carmelo Anthony from his 15-game suspension later this month.

The addition of Boykins will be a lift to the Bucks, who have lost Michael Redd (knee) and Mo Williams (shoulder) to injuries in the past week. Redd is expected to miss at least a month, with Williams sidelined two to three weeks.

"Given our current situation, we were able to make a deal to help us solidify our roster, both in the short-term and long-term," Bucks general manager Larry Harris said. "Earl gives us added firepower and depth at the guard position. Julius is a young player continuing his development, but shows a high skill at both the two and three positions."

On the season, Boykins is averaging 15.2 points and 4.3 assists per game in 31 contests thus far.

Hodge, who has only appeared in four games and averages just nine minutes a game, is averaging 1.5 points a game.

Blake has appeared in 33 games this season and is averaging 3.6 points in 17.6 minutes per game.