The Memphis Grizzlies today announced the team has acquired guard Mario Chalmers and forward James Ennis from the Miami Heat for guard Beno Udrih and forward/center Jarnell Stokes.
Chalmers (6-2, 190) joins the Grizzlies with career averages of 8.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.51 steals in 27.8 minutes while shooting 42.2 percent from the field, 36.6 percent from three-point range and 77.6 percent from the free throw line in 525 games (383 starts) over eight seasons (2008-09 to 2015-16) with the Heat. Among Miami’s all-time leaders, he ranks second in steals (791), third in assists (2,004), fourth in three-point field goals made (657), fourth in games played (525) and sixth in minutes played (14,571). The 29-year-old averaged 5.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.33 steals in 20.0 minutes in six games with the Heat this season.
He has competed in 99 career playoff games (73 starts), averaging 8.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.19 steals in 29.1 minutes while shooting 42.9 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from three-point range and 74.2 percent from the foul line. His 87 postseason appearances since the start of the 2011 NBA Playoffs rank second among all NBA players behind LeBron James (107), with whom he won back-to-back NBA Championships in 2012 and 2013. On the Heat’s all-time postseason leaderboard, he places second in three-point field goals made (117), third in steals (118), third in assists (321) and third in games played (99).
The Anchorage, Alaska native owns the Heat all-time record for steals in a regular season game with nine on Nov. 5, 2008 vs. Philadelphia in what was his fourth career game. In addition, he became just the fifth player and first rookie in club history to start all 82 games en route to earning 2008-09 Second Team All-Rookie honors.
Chalmers was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round (34th overall) of the 2008 NBA Draft following his junior season at the University of Kansas where he led the Jayhawks to the 2008 NCAA Championship and was named the 2008 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player. Chalmers is one of 43 players (and one of six active NBA players) who have won both an NCAA Championship and an NBA title.
Ennis (6-7, 210) holds career averages of 4.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 16.3 minutes while shooting 40.9 percent from the field, 32.6 percent from three-point range and 84.0 percent from the free throw line in 65 games (three starts) over two seasons (2014-15 to 2015-16) in Miami. He has recorded one assist in seven minutes across three appearances this season.
The 25-year-old was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the second round (50th overall) of the 2013 NBA Draft after he was named the 2013 Big West Player of the Year at Long Beach State University (now California State University, Long Beach). The Ventura, Calif. native played his first professional season (2013-14) overseas in Australia and Puerto Rico before signing with the Heat to a multi-year contract on July 15, 2014.
Udrih (6-3, 205) holds career averages of 8.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 22.5 minutes while shooting 46.3 percent from the field, 34.9 percent from three-point range and 82.9 percent from the free throw line in 756 games (267 starts) over 12 seasons with the San Antonio Spurs (2004-05 to 2006-07), Sacramento Kings (2007-08 to 2010-2011), Milwaukee Bucks (2011-12 to 2012-13), Orlando Magic (2012-13), New York Knicks (2013-14) and Memphis Grizzlies (2013-14 to 2015-16). The 33-year-old averaged 5.9 points, 1.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 15.0 minutes in eight games this season with the Grizzlies, who initially claimed the Celje, Slovenia native off waivers on Feb. 27, 2014 and re-signed him to a multi-year contract extension on July 13, 2014.
Stokes (6-9, 263) owns career averages of 2.7 points and 1.7 rebounds in 6.2 minutes while shooting 56.8 percent from the field and 53.6 percent from the free throw line in 21 games (two starts) over two seasons (2014-15 to 2015-16) with the Grizzlies. He has recorded two rebounds in four minutes over two appearances this season. The 21-year-old was selected by the Utah Jazz in the second round (35th overall) of the 2014 NBA Draft following his junior season at the University of Tennessee, and his draft rights were acquired by Memphis on draft night for a 2016 second round pick.
Fans who want to support the Memphis Grizzlies by purchasing 2015-16 Season Tickets or Partial Plans can do so by calling (901) 888-HOOP or going online to grizzlies.com. Single-Game tickets for all Grizzlies home games are available now. For more information on the Grizzlies, ‘like’ Memphis Grizzlies on Facebook or follow on Twitter (@memgrizz).