Jan. 26, 2026, 5:01 a.m. ET
Today in Boston Celtics history, the team traded Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Marcus Banks, Justin Reed, and two second round draft picks from the Celtics to the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2006.
In return for the haul of player contracts and draft picks being sent out by the Celtics, Boston was dealt Wally Szczerbiak, Michael Olowokandi, Dwayne Jones, and a first round draft pick. A relatively minor move as far as the impact the move had on the franchise in the short term, the swap would have been a brief mention in the team’s history except for the fact that it set the stage for the deal which would bring Ray Allen to the team from the Seattle SuperSonics a year later – and through it set the stage for the construction of the team that won Banner 17.
And that move was cemented with the arrival of Kevin Garnett from the Minnesota Timberwolves via trade the following year.
Birthdays
It is also the birthday of Sly Williams, born this day in 1958 in New Haven, Connecticut. Playing collegiately for Rhode Island, Williams was taken 21st overall by the New York Knicks, for whom he played four seasons before a move to the Atlanta Hawks for two more. He signed with the Celtics in 1985, and played just 6 games for the team before being released for personal reasons that December. He averaged 2.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per game with Boston.
Williams shares his birthday with MarShon Brooks, born today in 1989 in Long Branch, New Jersey. Drafted by the Celtics out of Providence with the 25th pick of the 2011 NBA Draft, he was immediately dealt to the (then) New Jersey (now Brooklyn) Nets for JaJuan Johnson and draft picks. Brooks played two seasons with the Nets before being dealt back to Boston as part of the mega-deal that sent Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to Brooklyn in 2013. He played two seasons with the Celtics before being traded yet again to the Golden State Warriors
Finally, it’s also Gerald Green’s birthday, who came into this world today in 1986 in Houston, Texas. Green was drafted by the Celts out of high school. Green was traded to the Timberwolves in exchange for Kevin Garnett in 2007, and then played for the Wolves, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Nets, Indiana Pacers, Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat, and Russian and abroad before reuniting with the Celtics in 2016. Green averaged 8 points and 2.1 rebounds per game with Boston.
