The NBA offseason fireworks aren’t quite over.
The Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers completed a blockbuster trade Tuesday that sent Kyrie Irving to Boston in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the 2018 Brooklyn Nets’ first-round draft pick.
It likely will go down as one of the most impactful deals in Celtics history. So, with that in mind, let’s take a look back at some of the biggest trades in Boston over the years, in chronological order.
Trading for the No. 2 pick to draft Bill Russell (April 30, 1956)
Bill Russell is a Celtics legend, and that might be putting it mildly. Russell won 11 championships in 13 years with Boston, and it was all made possible with a trade for a pick in the 1956 NBA Draft.
In order to get Russell, the Celtics sent Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan to Rochester for the second overall pick in the 1956 draft, which wound up being Russell.
Warriors send Robert Parish and No. 3 pick for No. 1 and No. 13 picks (June 9, 1980)
The Celtics of the 1980s, led by Larry Bird, were an extreme force to be reckoned with, capturing three NBA championships. A major reason for that success was acquiring Parish and Kevin McHale.
In the summer of 1980, the Warriors gave Boston a talented center in Parish and the third overall pick in exchange for the Celtics’ first overall pick and the 13th pick. The Warriors’ No. 3 overall pick would end up being McHale.
Boston got two Hall of Famers, while Golden State drafted an average center in Joe Barry Carroll with the No. 1 pick. Not a great deal for the Dubs.
Celtics receive Dennis Johnson from the Phoenix Suns (June 28, 1983)
In the summer of 1983, the Celtics already were very good, but they had just been swept by the Milwaukee Bucks in the playoffs. When they acquired “DJ” from Phoenix, they got a whole lot better.
Boston got its guy by trading two second-round draft picks and center Rick Robey to Phoenix.
Johnson would go on to win two NBA championships with the C’s, and later was inducted into the Basketball Hall Of Fame. He’s known as one of the best defensive stoppers in league history.
Celtics orchestrate deals to create new “Big 3” (June 28 and July 31, 2007)
Yes, this technically is two trades. However, acquiring Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett changed the course of the Celtics’ history forever, leading to an NBA championship in the first season the two were acquired in 2007-08.
Boston first sent Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West and Jeff Green to the Seattle SuperSonics for Allen, then parted with Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Sebastian Telfair and two first-round draft picks to land the Minnesota Timberwolves’ superstar in Garnett.
Boston trades Paul Pierce, Garnett for multiple Brooklyn Nets picks (July 12, 2013)
After getting the best years out of Pierce and Garnett, the C’s parted ways with the two legends in exchange for a more promising future.
The Celtics sent Pierce, Garnett, Jason Terry, D.J. White and two draft picks to the Nets in exchange for Keith Bogans, MarShon Brooks, Kris Humphries, Kris Joseph and Gerald Wallace, as well as Brooklyn’s first round picks in 2014, 2016, 2017 (pick swap), and 2018. Those picks would turn into James Young, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. The 2018 Nets pick was part of the Irving trade.
Not a bad haul for the C’s.
Thumbnail photo via Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports Images
