"Richard Jefferson made a brief stopover in Milwaukee, playing one season for the Bucks.

But the 6-foot-7 forward still delivered a strong impression while starting all 82 games before being traded to San Antonio during the past off-season.

The trade had more to do with the economic realities of the National Basketball Association and the $29 million remaining on his contract than it did with Jefferson's abilities.

On Monday night, Jefferson will go against his former team for the first time since the June 23 trade, which Bucks general manager John Hammond used to gain financial flexibility while picking up three new players as a direct result of the deal.

Jefferson and the Spurs are off to a sluggish start with a 5-6 record, but the trade still could help the Texas franchise threaten the defending league champion Los Angeles Lakers and stay competitive in a rugged Western Conference.

"I think it gives another scoring option for them," Bucks guard Charlie Bell said. "They've got Tim Duncan, (Manu) Ginobili and Tony Parker and sometimes you can key on a couple of those guys. Now you put him (Jefferson) in the mix and it just makes them that much stronger.

"They're not panicking because they know it's a long season. They know once they get guys healthy they're going to make a run and be right there in the championship hunt."

San Antonio is winless on the road (0-4) thus far. But the Spurs ended a three-game losing streak with a 106-84 rout of the Washington Wizards on Saturday night at the AT