Bucks Have Clear Path to Mason

The three-team trade engineered by the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday cleared the way for the club to sign free-agent forward Anthony Mason.

Milwaukee traded Scott Williams and a first-round draft choice to Denver for Aleksandar Radojevic and Kevin Willis. Willis was traded to Houston for the Rockets’ second-round draft pick in 2002.

The Bucks now have enough salary-cap flexibility to give Mason, an all-star last season with the Miami Heat, a substantial contract.

Mason, 34, and his agent, Don Cronson, have asked for a four-year deal worth about $20 million.

Buck Coach George Karl said he spoke late Monday night with General Manager Ernie Grunfeld, who indicated the team was close to completing a deal with Mason.

In another move, the Bucks signed center Ervin Johnson to a two-year extension Tuesday. The team did not disclose the terms.

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The Dallas Mavericks signed forward Dirk Nowitzki, 23, to an extension believed to be worth about $90 million over six years.

The deal takes effect after this season.

Dallas cited team policy in not releasing the terms of the contract.

Nowitzki, 7 feet and 245 pounds, last season averaged 21.8 points and 9.2 rebounds, tops on the team.

Guard Eric Snow of the Philadelphia 76ers had surgery to repair his broken left thumb and is expected to sit out three months.

A plate, two pins and five screws were inserted into the thumb.

Snow was injured in an exhibition game at San Antonio on Oct. 16.

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Cleveland Cavalier center Zydrunas Ilgauskas will sit out the first six weeks of the season to recover from foot surgery he had in February.

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An unidentified person paid $101,300 to sit next to filmmaker Spike Lee at the New York Knicks’ season-opener against Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards next Tuesday.

Lee, an avid Knick fan, donated one of his two courtside tickets to the game for an online auction that will benefit the Uniformed Firefighters Associations Widows’ and Children’s Fund.

More than 130 bids were placed on the ticket, including one from Dallas Maverick owner Mark Cuban.