The Golden State Warriors have been looking for a center since before the start of the 2011-12 NBA season, and on Tuesday night they finally got one. No, it wasn’t their primary target – Orlando’s Dwight Howard – but no matter how you look at it Andrew Bogut is a vast improvement over Andris Biedrins and Kwame Brown.

The Warriors sent Epke Udoh, Monta Ellis and Brown to the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night for Bogut and former Warrior Stephen Jackson. The speculation is that Jackson, who demanded a trade away from the Warriors during his first stint with the team, is likely to be bought out to avoid a similar scene.

Bogut is still recovering from a fractured ankle suffered in late January, and won’t be able to take the court for some time. The initial timetable for his return was set as 8-12 weeks, meaning the earliest he could be back would be 2-3 weeks from now. By then it’s unlikely the Warriors will still be even remotely in the playoff chase, especially with Ellis gone.

Ellis was among the players who made it known after shootaround today that he wouldn’t mind being traded. It remains to be seen whether Biedrins and Dorrell Wright, the other two who mentioned they’d like to be gone, wind up being traded, as well.

The departure of Ellis opens a gaping window of opportunity for either Brandon Rush or Klay Thompson to show that they deserve to be the full-time starter at the two, barring another trade. Thompson may just be up to the challenge. He will certainly benefit from the increased playing time he’s sure to enjoy now.

Update: Yahoo!’s Marc J. Spears is reporting that Stephen Jackson will not be bought out by the Warriors, so things could get interesting if he’s as unhappy about being back in Golden State as he was about being in Milwaukee.

What do you think? Good deal for the Warriors? Drop your thoughts in the comments section below!