In exchange for Robinson and rookie small forward Marcus Landry, the Celtics sent Eddie House, J.R. Giddens and Bill Walker to New York. SI.com first reported it was a done deal.
"Nate is one of the great athletes in the league and he brings a dynamic scorer to our team," Ainge told ESPN.com. "We have been seeking a second ball-handler capable of penetrating the defense and we believe that he provides that."
The 25-year-old Robinson figures to assume a utility role off the bench for Doc Rivers, with the ability to spell both Rajon Rondo at the point and Ray Allen at shooting guard. Under Mike D'Antoni's offense-first philosophy, Robinson averaged 13.2 points, 3.7 assists and 2.4 rebounds in over 24 minutes per game this season.
Landry, a 24-year-old out of the University of Wisconsin, played sparingly with the Knicks, getting about six minutes of action per game. He logged an average of 2.6 points and 1.1 rebounds during his brief opportunities, but isn’t likely to see much time in Boston’s front court, barring an injury.
The biggest subtraction for the Celtics in this deal is undoubtedly the 31-year-old House, who was averaging nearly 17 minutes a contest as one of the first players off the Boston bench. House averaged 7.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and one assist per night prior to the trade, but his shooting percentages were down from last year. Still, he may see an uptick in minutes for D'Antoni.
Giddens is out indefinitely after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, while Walker appeared in just eight games for the Celtics. Neither is likely to provide much of an on-court boost to the Knicks, but both are nonetheless valuable because of their expiring contracts.
