20 worst NBA Draft trades ever
By John Buhler
3. Ray Allen from Seattle SuperSonics to Boston Celtics
It had been over 20 years since the Celtics won an NBA Championship. Larry Bird’s group last brought a title to Boston back in 1986 and after two decades of mediocrity in the 1990s and early 2000s, the Celtics weren’t looking like a championship caliber team any time soon.
The 2007 Celtics were terrible after star player Paul Pierce came down with a brutal injury. General manager Danny Ainge and head coach Doc Rivers made great strides to turn Boston around in just one season with a series of great offseason moves.
The Celtics traded their No. 5 overall pick in Jeff Green to the then Seattle SuperSonics to acquire sharp shooting All-Star win Ray Allen. With the Allen trade, a healthy Pierce, and a recently acquired Kevin Garnett from the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Celtics managed to knock off a great Lakers teams of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol to win the 2008 NBA Championship.
That 2007-08 NBA season would be the last of NBA basketball in Seattle, as the SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City and thus became the Oklahoma City Thunder. Green continues to provide intrigue to NBA teams without ever really living up to the hype as the No. 5 pick that essentially helped Boston win another NBA Championship in the Allen deal.
Perhaps Allen would have helped a young Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden win a championship either in Seattle or Oklahoma City. Allen retired with two championships and between Durant, Westbrook, and Harden, they each share zero.
Next: 2. Kobe Bryant from Charlotte Hornets to Los Angeles Lakers.