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On this day: Avery traded; Olynyk, Knight signed; Barnett, Simmons born; Wallace passes

Justin Quinn
·3 min read

On this day in Boston Celtics history, veteran combo guard Avery Bradley was traded with draft assets to the Detroit Pistons for forward Marcus Morris Sr.  as part of the process of making cap space on the roster after signing Utah Jazz Star Gordon Hayward in 2017.

Avery, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound native of Tacoma, Washington, was drafted by the Celtics out of the University of Texas with the 19th pick of the 2010 NBA draft. The former Longhorn quickly made a name for himself as one of the league’s best man-to-man defenders while coming up with the aging core of the 2008 title team.

In total, the former Texas standout played for the team for seven seasons, averaging 12.1 points, 3.1 assists, and 1.7 rebounds per game.

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

It is also the date of two frontcourt signings for the Celtics. The first was the signing of big man Kelly Olynyk, who signed his rookie deal with Boston on this date in 2013.

Olynyk, a former Gonzaga standout and a native of Canada, was traded to the Celtics immediately after being drafted 13th by the Dallas Mavericks.

LeBron James, Kelly Olynyk
LeBron James, Kelly Olynyk

Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

He played four seasons with Boston before leaving the team in free agency (also on July 7, oddly enough) for the Miami Heat in 2017.

He logged 9.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game with the Celtics.

Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

The second signing was former UConn standout Travis Knight, a 7-foot center signed as a free agent by team president and head coach Rick Pitino.

The signing was controversial. His $22 million, seven-year deal required the Celtics to give up the rights to all of their pending free agents: Frank Brickowski, Marty Conlon, Todd Day, Nate Driggers, Rick Fox, Steve Hamer, Michael Hawkins, Alton Lister and Brett Szabo.

He played one season with Boston before being dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers for big man Tony Battie.

He put up 6.5 points and 4.9 boards while in the green and white.

Today is the birthday of former Celtic guard Jim Barnett, who was drafted by the team out of Oregon with the eighth pick of the 1966 NBA draft.

He played one season for Boston before being drafted by the San Diego Rockets in the 1967 NBA Expansion Draft. He averaged 4.1 points and 1.1 boards per game that season.

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Ex-Boston guard John Simmons was also born today, a member of the inaugural season of the franchise in the 1946-47 Basketball Association of America (BAA — a precursor of the NBA) season, its first as well.

Simmons, a graduate of NYU, averaged 5.3 points across his 60 games with the team.

Finally, it is also the date we lost Red Wallace in 1977. The Scranton native played 24 games for the Celtics in their inaugural season (1946-47) before the guard was dealt to the (defunct) Toronto Huskies for Charlie Hoefer.

Later, he coached in the Eastern Professional Basketball League (EPBL – that era’s version of the G League), winning the EPBL championship in 1958–59 with the Wilkes-Barre Barons.

Rest in peace.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire.

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