USA - Grizzlies deal Team USA's Battier

MEMPHIS (NBA) - The Memphis Grizzlies have dealt Team USA forward Shane Battier to the Houston Rockets in exchange for rookie Rudy Gay and Stromile Swift.

Battier is a five-year veteran and one of the top defenders in the NBA.

The 6ft 8in forward averaged 10.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots last season. He has missed just 12 games in his career, which is remarkable considering how hard he plays at both ends of the floor.

Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy wanted a strong interior defender to play alongside All-Star center Yao Ming and Battier fills the bill.

The sixth overall pick in 2001, Battier is the Grizzlies leader in games (296), third in blocks (418), fourth in points (4,160) and fifth in rebounds (1,908).

Swift was originally drafted by the Grizzlies with the second overall pick in 2000 and played with them for five years before signing with Houston as a free agent last August.

The 26-year-old was a major disappointment with the Rockets last season, averaging 8.9 points and 4.4 rebounds in 66 games, including five starts.

In five years with the Grizzlies, the 6ft 9in Stromile averaged 9.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots. His best season was in 2001-02 when he averaged 11.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks.

"By reacquiring Stromile, we are delighted to get another athletic player back on our roster," said Grizzlies president Jerry West.

"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 took Swift back in order to secure Gay, the eighth overall pick in last month's draft, for Battier.

The 6ft 9in, 220lb Gay is an ideal small forward and may have the best potential of any player in the 2006 draft. He led a loaded Connecticut squad in scoring with 15.2 points while shooting 46 percent from the field.

"Even though he is a very young player at 19, the talent of this young man is phenomenal," West said of Gay.

After the trade was officially announced, Gay immediately signed a two-year contract with club options for the next two years.

Under the NBA's rookie scale, Gay will make $3.87 million in the first two years of the deal as the eighth overall pick.

PA Sport