Wolves deal Mo Williams to Hornets, acquire Neal

The Minnesota Timberwolves acquired guard Gary Neal and a 2019 second-round draft pick from the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday in exchange for guards Mo Williams and Troy Daniels.

The Timberwolves also obtained forward-center Adreian Payne in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks for a protected future first-round draft pick.

Neal, 30, is averaging 9.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 43 games for Charlotte this season. The pick the Timberwolves acquired was originally obtained by Charlotte from the Miami Heat in a draft day trade last summer.

“In moving Mo, we felt it was important to get a proven scorer and three-point shooter like Gary,” Timberwolves president of basketball operations/head coach Flip Saunders said. “Gary was a solid rotation player with San Antonio for three years and an important contributor in the Spurs’ playoff runs. We also get a second round pick, which is another future asset for us.”

Williams, 32, is averaging 12.2 points and 6.4 assists in 41 games this season, and the 23-year-old Daniels is averaging 2.8 points in 7.3 minutes per game this season. Daniels was acquired from the Houston Rockets on Dec. 23.

Williams joined the Timberwolves this season after spending the 2013-14 season with the Portland Trail Blazers. The 12th-year veteran is averaging 13.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in his career.

“This was a difficult decision because of what Mo brought to our team and the impact he had on our young guys,” Saunders said. “As a coach, you wanted to keep him because of his professionalism and understanding of what you wanted out of him as a player. He scored 52 points against Indiana (in January) and did everything we asked him to do.

“On the other side, we knew we were moving in a different direction with our youth so we felt it was in our best interest to make the deal. We thank Mo and Troy for their contributions and wish them the best of luck in Charlotte.”

The Hornets are in contention for a playoff spot and need help at point guard after the knee injury to Kemba Walker, who will be out at least five more weeks.

“We are excited to be adding two quality players to our organization,” Hornets general manager Rich Cho said. “Mo Williams is a proven NBA player who gives us additional versatility and depth in the backcourt, both while Kemba Walker is out and after Kemba returns.”

Payne, 23, was the 15th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Hawks. He played in three games for Atlanta, averaging 1.7 points and 1.3 rebounds. But he has spent the majority of the season in the NBA Development League, averaging 12.9 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 17 games.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Adreian to Minnesota,” Saunders said. “Adreian fits the mold of a young, athletic and talented player who we believe will fit in well with our young and talented core. We’ve liked him for a while and look forward to seeing him grow with us in a Wolves uniform.”

Payne averaged 16.4 points and 7.3 rebounds as a senior at Michigan State last season. He is the school’s career leader in blocked shots.