SAN ANTONIO -- The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they have acquired Melvin Ely from the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for Eric Williams and a second round pick in 2009.
Ely, a 6-10 forward/center, is in his fifth NBA season. He has appeared in 24 games for Charlotte this season and is averaging 2.9 points and 1.6 rebounds in 10.2 minutes a game. Ely enjoyed his finest NBA season last year when he averaged 9.8 points and 4.9 rebounds in 23.6 minutes in 57 games while shooting .508 (216-425) for the Bobcats. For his career Ely has appeared in 254 games for Charlotte and the Los Angeles Clippers, averaging 6.3 points and 3.6 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per game. The 28-year old was originally the 12th overall selection in the 2002 NBA Draft.
Williams has appeared in 16 games for the Spurs this season, averaging 2.6 points in 5.5 minutes a game. He was originally acquired on 6/21/06 from Toronto with Matt Bonner and a 2009 second round pick in exchange for Rasho Nesterovic. For his career, the 6-8 forward has played in 653 games for six teams (San Antonio, Toronto, New Jersey, Cleveland, Denver and Boston), averaging 8.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 24.0 minutes a game.