By Steve Reed

AP Sports Writer

CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte Hornets have acquired guard Brad Wanamaker from the Golden State Warriors, a person familiar with the situation said Thursday.

The two teams exchanged heavily protected future second-round picks, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal was still pending NBA approval.

The 6-foot-3 Wanamaker has played in 39 games this season and averaged 4.7 points and 2.5 assists. This will be his fifth team in four seasons.

Wanamaker’s best season came in 2019, when he averaged 6.9 points and 2.5 assists per game for the Celtics.

The 31-year-old could help fill some of the void left by the injury to rookie LaMelo Ball, who will miss the remainder of the season with fractured right wrist. The Hornets (22-21) currently are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

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In other NBA trade news, Kyle Lowry wound up staying with Toronto after all. Victor Oladipo is finally in Miami, a destination he’s eyed in the past. And Rajon Rondo is headed back to Los Angeles, though not with the team he helped win the NBA title last season.

The trade deadline has come and gone. And now, playoff pushes can really begin. Miami, Denver, the Clippers, Portland, Dallas, Boston and Atlanta were likely among the teams feeling convinced that they improved on deadline day after a flurry of moves Thursday, though the best player — at least this season — might have been landed by the Chicago Bulls. They got All-Star forward Nikola Vucevic from Orlando, a move that ushered in the start of a big-time rebuild by the Magic.

“Anytime you trade a player like Nikola, it is a tough decision to make,” Magic President Jeff Weltman said.

Vucevic is the only player from this season’s All-Star Game to be traded at the deadline. It was a steep price; Vucevic and Al-Farouq Aminu went to the Bulls for Otto Porter, Wendell Carter Jr. and two future first-round selections.

The Magic traded three of their four leading scorers; in addition to the Vucevic move, Evan Fournier was sent to Boston and Aaron Gordon is headed to Denver. Acquiring Gordon was part of a bold day for the Nuggets, who also got JaVale McGee — part of three of the last four NBA championship teams, two with Golden State and last year with the Lakers — through a trade with Cleveland.

And Toronto made one move of significance, sending Norman Powell to the Portland Trail Blazers for Rodney Hood and Gary Trent Jr. But Lowry — a free-agent-to-be and considered perhaps the biggest prize on this year’s trade market — did not get traded, the Raptors apparently unable to find enough assets to their liking.

The Clippers — who sought point guard help for weeks — got it in Rondo, who was part of the Los Angeles Lakers’ run to the title last season and now returns to L.A. The Clippers gave up Lou Williams in that deal with Atlanta, sending him back to his home state and the team with whom he spent two seasons from 2012 through 2014.

Another veteran joined a Western Conference contender when New Orleans sent JJ Redick to the Dallas Mavericks, along with Nicolo Melli for Wes Iwundu, James Johnson and a second-round pick in this summer’s draft. Redick satisfies Dallas’ want for more shooting and provides a veteran voice to help younger players — just as JJ Barea did for Dallas in past seasons.

The Heat made another deal prior to the Oladipo one being struck, landing Nemanja Bjelica from Sacramento for little-used forwards Maurice Harkless and Chris Silva.

The deadline passed without moves getting made for San Antonio’s LaMarcus Aldridge and Cleveland’s Andre Drummond, veteran post players.