The Spurs sent veterans Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto to the Bucks in exchange for the 29-year-old Jefferson, who averaged 19.6 points in his one season with the Bucks.

Jefferson gives the Spurs the additional scorer they craved in April, when the Dallas Mavericks ousted San Antonio from the playoffs in five games. The Spurs were little more than a two-man show of point guard Tony Parker and power forward Tim Duncan, and coach Gregg Popovich said afterward his team simply couldn’t match firepower.

Jefferson spent his first seven seasons in New Jersey and hasn’t missed a game the past two seasons. He shot a career-high 39.7 percent from 3-point range last season.

Milwaukee then dealt Oberto to the Detroit Pistons for forward Amir Johnson.

Parker welcomed Jefferson into the fold, alongside Duncan and Manu Ginobili. San Antonio is coming off its shortest playoff run since 2000 and faded down the stretch with Duncan hobbled and Ginobili sidelined by injury.

“He’s a great wing,” said Parker, speaking before the trade for Jefferson became official Tuesday. “It’s something we don’t have on our team.”

Milwaukee unloaded Jefferson’s contract, which has two years and $29.2 million remaining. He became the Bucks’ best scoring threat after Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut went down with injuries.

Bowen, 38, was a key cog in helping the Spurs win three championships, relishing his role as a shutdown defender. But he lost a step and saw his minutes cut significantly.

Bowen lost the starting job he held for six seasons and didn’t earn a spot on the NBA’s all-defensive team for the first time since the 1999-2000 season. He still could return to San Antonio if the Bucks waive him.

Thomas, 36, is a 14-year veteran who averaged 4.3 points and 5.1 rebounds last season. Oberto, 34, spent four years in San Antonio and underwent a procedure earlier this month to correct an irregular heartbeat.