MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - The Memphis Grizzlies completed a trade sending forward Shane Battier to the Houston Rockets for Stromile Swift and Rudy Gay on Wednesday.
Gay, a six-foot-nine, 220-pound forward from Connecticut, started 59 games and averaged 13.6 points and 5.9 rebounds last season. He was taken with the eighth overall pick in the draft. Gay signed a two-year deal with team options for a third and fourth years immediately after the trade was completed.
"We are hopeful people will enjoy watching this special kind of athlete. With the addition of Rudy, Stromile, and our other draft picks, this will be a year that will create opportunities for our young players to play and our veterans to share their insight and experience," said Jerry West, president of basketball operations.
The deal also brings back Swift, a 6-9, 230-pound forward the Grizzlies allowed to leave as a free agent last summer. He was the second overall pick by the then-Vancouver Grizzlies in 2000 and left ranked second in team history in blocks with 835 and sixth in points (3,172) and rebounds (1,749).
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"Last year we missed his ability to change the game through his shot-blocking and versatility to play multiple positions, and we are thrilled with his return," West said.
But the Grizzlies gave up Battier, the team's first draft pick after moving to Memphis from Vancouver. Battier was the sixth pick overall in the 2001 draft.
The 6-8, 220-pound forward leaves Memphis after five seasons as the franchise's all-time leader in games played (396) and steals (507). Battier ranked second in three-pointers made (389), third in blocks (418) and fourth in points (4,160).
But the Grizzlies have yet to win a playoff game in their first three appearances, setting an NBA record for futility by losing their first 12 post-season games.
"Our city will miss him, but we are hopeful that a move like this will ensure future growth and success for the franchise," West said.
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