Oakland, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Golden State Warriors have acquired point guard Steve Blake from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for guards Kent Bazemore and MarShon Brooks.
Blake, an 11-year NBA veteran out of Maryland, is averaging 9.5 points with a career-best 7.6 assists this season, starting all 27 games that he has appeared in. He also missed 26 games with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and has battled a number of injuries since joining the Lakers in 2010.
"I was in my warm-ups, my uniform," said Blake, who was informed of the trade an hour before tip-off between the Lakers and Rockets. "It's a tough situation, but I'm ready to start something new."
Blake is a lifetime 39 percent 3-point shooter with an impressive 2.84-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
"The acquisition of Steve Blake will provide us with additional veteran depth at point guard as we enter the stretch run of the season," said Golden State general manager Bob Myers. "He's had a productive career and is a player who can both run an offense and has the ability to shoot the basketball."
Bazemore has spent his entire two-year career with the Warriors after signing as an undrafted free agent out of Old Dominion. A former standout at the Las Vegas Summer League, he has failed to make a mark in the NBA, averaging just 2.1 points in 105 career games.
Brooks, who began the season with Boston before getting shipped to Golden State in a trade in mid-January, appeared in just seven games with the Warriors. He holds career averages of 7.8 points and 2.2 rebounds in 146 career games.
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