Memphis, February 19, 2009 – The Memphis Grizzlies acquired from the Orlando Magic their 2009 unprotected first round draft pick, guard Mike Wilks, center Adonal Foyle and cash considerations and sent guard Kyle Lowry to the Houston Rockets as part of a three-team trade, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today. As part of the trade, Orlando will receive guard Rafer Alston from Houston in exchange for forward Brian Cook.
“It was difficult to part with Kyle Lowry,” Wallace said. “He has been an important part of our team the last three seasons. With the emergence of Mike Conley, we decided that the acquisition of Orlando’s unprotected first round pick was a good move to make. We now will enter the upcoming draft with two first round selections and three picks overall, likely inside the first 37 picks.”
The Grizzlies now own four first round picks over the next two drafts, including the Lakers’ 2010 first rounder and the team’s own two first round selections.
Wilks, a 5-10, 180-pound guard, holds career averages of 2.5 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 229 career games (11 starts) with the Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers, Seattle SuperSonics (twice), Denver Nuggets and Washington Wizards. After signing with Orlando as a free agent on Sept. 25, the six-year NBA veteran suffered a season-ending ACL injury in his right knee in a preseason game on Oct. 16 at Charlotte.
Foyle, a 6-10, 270-pound center, is averaging 1.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.80 blocks in 5.8 minutes in five appearances with Orlando this season. The 12-year NBA veteran holds career averages of 4.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.63 blocks in 728 career games (269 starts) with the Magic and the Golden State Warriors, who originally selected him in the first round (eighth overall) of the 1997 NBA Draft.
Lowry, a 6-0, 205-pound guard, is averaging 7.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists on 41.2 percent shooting in 21.9 minutes in 49 games (21 starts) this season, his third with the Grizzlies. Selected by Memphis in the first round (24th overall) of the 2006 NBA Draft, the 22-year-old holds career averages of 8.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists on 42.4 percent shooting in 23.7 minutes in 141 games (30 starts), all with Memphis.
In 2008-09, the Villanova product scored a career-high 25 points on Jan. 13 in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers and recorded a career-high 12 assists on Dec. 29 at Minnesota. Lowry is shooting a career-high 80.1 percent from the free throw line this season.