On this day: KG dealt to Boston; Larkin, Collins signed; Pruitt waived
On this day in Boston Celtics history, the storied franchise would trade for Minnesota Timberwolves star big man Kevin Garnett ahead of the 2007-08 season that would end in hanging Banner 17. The Big Ticket had initially been reluctant to agree to sign an extension with the Celtics should they deal for him given the dearth of high-level talent on the roster save for forward Paul Pierce.
But, a move that brought sharpshooting UConn product Ray Allen on board earlier that summer was tantalizing enough for Garnett to seal the deal. KG would agree to sign a three-year extension to add to the two remaining seasons on his existing contract.
The history-altering deal was consummated soon after.
The South Carolinian was dealt for Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff, cash, and draft considerations.
Garnett would win a title with the team in 2008, be elected Defensive Player of the Year that season, make five All-Star games, and earn many more such honors during his six seasons with the team.
Five years before that date in 2012, ex-Celtics center Jason Collins signed a contract with Boston.
The Stanford product played a mere 32 games with the franchise that season before he would be traded to the Washington Wizards with point guard Leandro Barbosa for guard Jordan Crawford in February of 2013.
He averaged 1.2 points and 1.6 rebounds per contest over that stretch.
It is the date in 2009 that Boston waived one-time Celtics guard Gabe Pruitt, who had been drafted by the team out of USC with the 32nd pick of the 2007 NBA draft.
The Los Angeles native put up 2 points a game across 62 games played in two seasons with Boston.
Today is also the date of the first game the Celtics played after the 2019-20 NBA season had been interrupted by the pandemic the previous March.
It was a 119-112 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks might have gone the other way had not a late charge against Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo not been overturned, which veteran Celtics guard Marcus Smart protested vigorously.
“Quite frankly, I think we know all what that was all about. Giannis’ sixth foul and they didn’t want to get him out,” Smart said via the AP. “Let’s just call that spade a spade and that’s just what it is.”
Today is the birthday of Celtics short-timer Mel Hirsch, who was born on this day in 1921.
The Brooklyn College product played 13 games for Boston in their inaugural season of 1946-47 and averaged 1.5 points per game.
Hirsch shared his birthday with Boston big man Tony Massenburg, who came into the world in 1967 in Sussex, Virginia.
Massenburg played his college ball at Maryland, playing stints with the San Antonio Spurs and Charlotte Hornets before playing through a pair of 10-day deals with the Celtics in 1992.
He would return to the team in 1997 as a free agent but was traded to the (then) Vancouver (now Memphis) Grizzlies for Roy Rogers. The Virginia native logged 1.4 points and 1.3 boards per game while with Boston.
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