Wolves Trade Szczerbiak To The Celtics In 7 Player Deal
To Minnesota: Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Marcus Banks, Justin Reed, two conditional second-round draft picksTo Boston: Szczerbiak, Kandi, Dwayne Jones, a future first round draft pick
"Through this trade, we've become a much more athletic team," Timberwolves vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale said in a statement. "With Ricky Davis, we've added one of the more talented shooting guards in the NBA — both on the offensive and defensive ends of the court. Plus, with Davis and Trenton Hassell together on the court, we'll have a great defensive presence at the 2-3 positions."
"It was a tough decision to trade Wally," McHale said in the statement. "He has been the ultimate professional and a very good player for us through the years. I wish him nothing but the best of luck with the rest of his NBA career."
The Celtics said they were glad to get Szczerbiak.
"We are ecstatic to acquire a player of Wally Szczerbiak's quality to complement Paul Pierce and our young talent base," said Danny Ainge, the Celtics' executive director of basketball operations. "In Wally we are receiving an All-Star player who is playoff tested and who has been a winner at all levels."
From ESPN:
Though frequently mentioned in trade talks over the past several seasons, Szczerbiak sounded surprised by the deal when reached on his cell phone late Thursday night.
"You never know in this business," he said.
Szczerbiak and Garnett didn't always get along, especially on the court, but the 1999 first-round draft pick expressed no ill will toward Minnesota's franchise player. McHale danced around a question about whether the duo's occasional dissonance drove this deal.
As for Szczerbiak?
"Who knows?" he said. "K.G. and I have been teammates for seven years. I've learned a lot from him. ... Now we're moving on and breaking apart."
The 7-foot Olowokandi, a former first overall draft pick, was a huge disappointment for the Wolves, who signed him as a free agent in the summer of 2003. Jones was a developmental league player.
The Wolves first game home after a three game road trip is against the Celtics. Holy shit!
posted by Lil Dice @ 1/26/2006 11:32:00 PM
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