MEMPHIS, July 24, 2012 – The Memphis Grizzlies acquired guard Wayne Ellington from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for forward Dante Cunningham, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.
Ellington (6-4, 200) joins the Grizzlies with career averages of 6.1 points and 1.9 rebounds on .412 shooting (.376 three-point shooting) in 18.7 minutes in 189 games (13 starts) over three seasons with Minnesota. The 24-year-old posted 6.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in a career-high 19.1 minutes in 51 games (four starts) for the Timberwolves last season.
The Wynnewood, Penn. native was selected by Minnesota in the first round (No. 28 overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft after being named Most Outstanding Player of the 2009 NCAA Final Four and leading North Carolina to a national title. He earned All-ACC Tournament honors in each of his three collegiate seasons and finished his Tarheels career ranked second in UNC history with 229 made three-pointers.
Cunningham (6-8, 230) averaged 5.2 points and 3.8 rebounds on .516 shooting in 17.6 minutes in 64 games (five starts) for Memphis last season. The 25-year-old totaled eight points and 11 rebounds over 49 minutes during the Grizzlies’ seven-game series with the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the 2012 NBA Playoffs.
The Clinton, Md. native holds NBA career averages of 5.2 points and 3.3 rebounds on .485 shooting in 16.9 minutes in 205 games (25 starts) over three seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, Charlotte Bobcats and Memphis. The Villanova product was selected by Portland in the second round (No. 33 overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft.