The Miami Heat announced today that they have acquired guard Ricky Davis and center Mark Blount in a five-player trade with Minnesota in which they sent forwards Antoine Walker and Wayne Simien, center Michael Doleac and a conditional first-round pick to the Timberwolves.

Davis, who played seven games for the HEAT during the 2000-01 season, has averaged 14.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.06 steals and 30.4 minutes during his nine-year NBA career while shooting 45.1 percent from the floor, 35.2 percent from three-point range and 78.2 percent from the foul line. He has averaged double figures in scoring in each of his six seasons, compiling a 16.5 ppg scoring average over the six-year span. Last season with Minnesota the 28-year old guard averaged 17.0 points, a team-high 4.8 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 0.99 steals and 37.3 minutes while shooting 46.5 percent from the floor and establishing career highs in both three-point field goal percentage (.397) and free throw percentage (.839). During the 2006-07 season, Davis ranked 30th in the NBA in assists per game (eighth among non-point guards), 38th in scoring average, 24th in three-point accuracy and 28th in free throw percentage. The 6’7”, 195-pound guard has appeared in 11 postseason games during his career and has averaged 12.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.00 steals and 33.0 minutes.

During his nine-year career, Davis has played for the Charlotte Hornets (1998-00), the Cleveland Cavaliers (2001-03), Boston Celtics (2003-06) and Timberwolves (2006-07) in addition to his stint with the HEAT (2000-01). Davis was originally acquired by Miami along with Eddie Jones, Anthony Mason and Dale Ellis for P.J. Brown, Jamal Mashburn, Otis Thorpe, Tim James and Rodney Buford on Aug. 1, 2000. After being limited to seven games with Miami due to a fractured right foot, he was dealt to Cleveland in a three-team trade on Oct. 26, 2001 which brought Chris Gatling to the HEAT. Since being dealt by the HEAT, Davis has averaged 80 games played each of the past six seasons and has appeared in at least 78 games in each of the six seasons.

Blount, a 7’0”, 250-pound center, has averaged 8.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.91 blocks and 23.7 minutes while shooting 51.3 percent from the floor and 73.6 percent from the foul line in a seven-year career split between the Celtics and Timberwolves. Blount, who has played at least 81 games in each of the past five seasons, averaged a career-high 12.3 points and 6.2 rebounds during the 2006-07 season. In addition to being one of three Timberwolves to play all 82 games, he tied Davis for the team-high in games started (81) and ranked second in defensive rebounds (369), total rebounds (505) and blocks (58). The 31-year old center has averaged double figures in points in three of the past four seasons and has shot over 50 percent from the floor in each of the past four seasons. During his career he has appeared in 22 playoff contests and has averaged 4.2 points and 3.9 rebounds.

Doleac, a 6’11”, 262-pound center, signed with the HEAT as a free agent on July 15, 2004. In his three seasons with the HEAT he averaged 3.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 13.4 minutes while shooting 44.9 percent from the floor. During his nine-year NBA career he has averaged 5.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 15.2 minutes while shooting 43.9 percent from the floor.

Walker enters his 12th season with averages of 18.0 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 3.7 apg and 1.2 spg. He has appeared in 847 contests for Miami, Boston (two stints), Atlanta and Dallas. Walker also has 64 career playoff games on his resume and averaged 16.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg and 2.9 apg in the postseason. The three-time All-Star was an NBA All-Rookie First Team member in 1996-97 after being selected out of Kentucky by the Celtics in the first round (sixth overall) of the 1996 NBA Draft.

Simien, the HEAT’s first-round draft choice in 2005 (29th overall), has appeared in 51 games during his two-year career and has averaged 3.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 9.9 minutes while shooting 46.9 percent from the floor and 85.4 percent from the charity stripe. During his two-year career with the HEAT, the 6’9”, 250-pound forward has missed 53 games due to injury or illness.

This marks the first trade between the HEAT and Timberwolves, leaving just the New Jersey Nets and San Antonio Spurs as the only teams the HEAT have never made a trade with.

InsideHoops.com Says: Davis is unorthodox but scores with the best of them and that's exactly what the Heat need right now. He's a shooting guard but can get away with playing undersized small forward, and that's probably his role on Miami, especially with Dorell Wright and others failing to make a strong case that they deserve the full-time job for the position. Playing Davis at the three means he, Dwyane Wade and Jason Williams will have to focus extra hard in rebounding, so Udonis Haslem and Shaquille O'Neal aren't completely alone around the boards. Also, Mark Blount is a somewhat servicable center and can also back-up at power forward. As for the Timberwolves, they get a seemingly washed-up Antoine Walker, a good backup center in Mike Doleac, and an unproven raw big forward in Wayne Simien. As far as immediate impact goes, this trade clearly favors the Heat.

Discuss the trade on the InsideHoops basketball forum.