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KNICKS ACQUIRE MARBURY, HARDAWAY & TRYBANSKI FROM PHOENIX. Eisley, Lampe, McDyess, Ward Traded To The Suns

New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Isiah Thomas announced today that two-time NBA All-Star guard Stephon Marbury, four-time NBA All-Star guard/forward Anfernee Hardaway and center Cezary Trybanski have been acquired from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for guards Howard Eisley and Charlie Ward, forwards Antonio McDyess and Maciej Lampe, the draft rights to Milos Vujanic, a first-round draft choice in 2004 and a future first-round draft choice.

Marbury, 6-2, 180-pounds, was averaging 20.8 points (ranked 12th in NBA) and 8.3 assists (second in NBA) in 34 starts for the Phoenix Suns this season. The seven-year NBA veteran had scored at least 30 points in six games, including a season-high 40 on Dec. 29 at the L.A. Clippers and has 10 point-assist double-doubles on the season. The 26-year-old Brooklyn-native is a two-time NBA All-Star and was selected to the All-NBA Third Team in 2000 and 2003.

"Our ultimate goal is to win an NBA Championship, and with the addition of all three players, we feel we have taken a major step towards achieving that goal." Thomas said. "All three players are young seasoned veterans that can help us win now and, combined with our existing players, give us a solid foundation for the future."

Hardaway, 6-7, 215-pounds, was averaging 8.7 points and 2.9 assists in 34 games for Phoenix this season, including 10 starts. The 10-year NBA veteran had scored in double-figures 12 times, including a season-high 22 points on Dec. 8 at Orlando. The 32-year-old Memphis-native was selected as a NBA All-Star from 1995 through 1998.

Trybanski, 7-2, 240-pounds, had appeared in four games for a total of 10 minutes with the Suns this season. The 24-year-old averaged 5.7 minutes in 15 games for the Memphis Grizzlies last season.

Eisley, 6-2, 185-pounds, was averaging 6.7 points and 4.7 assists in 33 games for New York this season, including 23 starts and currently ranks eighth in the NBA in assists-to-turnover ratio at 3.12. The nine-year NBA veteran was acquired by New York on Aug. 10, 2001

Ward, 6-2, 185-pounds, was averaging 8.7 points and a team-leading 4.9 assists in 35 games for New York this season, including 10 starts and currently ranks 13th in the NBA in three-point shooting at 42.8-percent (59-138). The nine-year NBA veteran had spent his entire career with the Knicks and currently ranks third all-time on the franchise's all-time three-point list (598) and fifth on the steals list (743).

McDyess, 6-9, 245-pounds, was averaging 8.4 points and 6.6 rebounds in 18 games, including six starts. The eight-year NBA veteran was acquired by New York on Jun. 26, 2002.

Lampe, 6-11, 275-pounds, had missed the team's first 35 games of the season on the Injured List due to shin splints, The NBA rookie was selected in the second round (30th pick overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft.

Vujanic, 6-3, 190-pounds, was selected in the second round (36th pick overall) by the Knicks of the 2002 NBA Draft and has been playing in Spain with Unicaja Malaga over the last two seasons.

As for the Suns take on the deal:

“This trade has many facets, both long term and short term. It creates the financial flexibility that we need to move forward,” Suns Chairman and CEO Jerry Colangelo said. “It not only relieves us of a significant financial liability, but also gives us a tremendous opportunity to compete in the free agency market. In the short term we were handcuffed with no place to go. The big part of this transaction is the acquisition of two first-round draft picks and the excitement about having two first-round draft picks this year. The bottom line is this is a bold move, but a necessary one for our development and success.”

“This was a difficult but necessary move to make. Stephon and Penny are great players and deserve our gratitude for their contributions to the Phoenix Suns,” Suns President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo said. “This move stabilizes our franchise, creating bright prospects for the future of our basketball team. “

The 6-9, 245-pound forward McDyess returns for his second stint with Phoenix. Originally acquired by the Suns in a three-team deal with Cleveland on Oct. 1, 1997, he averaged 15.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.23 steals and 1.67 blocks as the Suns finished with a 56-26 record during the 1997-98 campaign.

After missing the first 17 games of this season while recovering from left knee surgery, he has appeared in the last 18 games averaging 8.4 points and 6.6 rebounds in 23.4 minutes, including 14 points and 11 rebounds last night vs. New Jersey. Before this season, McDyess had missed 154 games due to injury in the last two seasons, after missing just 27 contests due to injury over his first six NBA campaigns.

In nine NBA seasons with Denver, Phoenix and New York, McDyess is averaging 17.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.63 blocks on .493 shooting from the field in 32.9 minutes in 460 games. McDyess, 29, was selected by the L.A. Clippers in the first round (second pick overall) of the 1995 NBA Draft.

Eisley, now entering his 10th NBA season, has averaged 6.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.71 steals in 20.8 minutes in 646 career games with Minnesota, San Antonio, Utah, Dallas and New York. The 6-2, 180-pound guard averaged career-highs in points (8.6 ppg), assists (4.2 apg), rebounds (2.1 rpg), steals

(0.72 spg) and minutes (25.6 mpg) in 82 games played in 1999-00 in his final season with the Jazz. The 31-year-old, who was originally selected by the Timberwolves in the second round (30th pick overall) of the 1994 NBA Draft, is averaging 6.7 points, 4.7 assists and 0.91 steals in 22.1 minutes in 33 games this season.

Ward, 33, has played his entire 10-year NBA career with the Knicks and owns career averages of 6.3 points and 4.2 assists in 580 games. In 2003-04, the 6-2, 185-pound playmaker is averaging a career-high 8.7 points, 4.9 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.34 steals in 23.6 minutes in 35 games. The former two-sport athlete at Florida State was drafted by the Knicks with the 26th overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft and won the 1993 Heisman Trophy as the nation’s top collegiate football player after leading the Seminoles to the national title in 1993.

Lampe, a 6-11, 275-pound forward/center from Poland was the 30th overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. The 18-year-old has not played this season after he was placed on the injured list with shin splints on Oct. 27. He was selected to the 2003 Reebok Rocky Mountain All-Revue Team after averaging 17.2 points and 7.0 rebounds in 32.4 minutes for the Knicks’ summer league team last July.

Last season Lampe played briefly for Real Madrid (Spain), and then was sent on loan to Universidad Complutense of LEB1 of second division Spain. There he established himself as one of the top young players in Europe, averaging 18.6 points and 7.5 rebounds on .555 shooting from the field (95-171) in 17 games.

Vujanic, widely considered one of the top point guards in Europe, was the 36th overall pick by the Knicks in the 2002 NBA Draft, but has yet to play in the NBA. The 23-year-old was the starting point guard and teammate of Suns rookie forward Zarko Cabarkapa on the gold medal winning Yugoslavian National Team at the 2002 World Championships in Indianapolis.

In 13 games this season with Skipper Bologna (Italy), the 6-3, 190-pound playmaker led his team in scoring (19.2 ppg), assists (3.1 apg) and minutes (31.2). Last season for BC Partizan Belgrade (Serbia & Montenegro), Vujanic led all Euroleague competitors in scoring with 25.8 points per game and added 3.1 assists.