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The Boston Celtics announced today that they have acquired forward Wally Szczerbiak, center Michael Olowokandi, center Dwayne Jones, and a future first round draft choice from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Marcus Banks, Mark Blount, Ricky Davis, Justin Reed, and two conditional second round draft choices.

Szczerbiak, a one-time All-Star, is averaging a career-high 20.1 points, shooting 49.5 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from beyond the arc, to go with 4.8 boards in 38.9 minutes per game. The 6-7, 235-pound forward, originally drafted 6th overall in the 1999 NBA Draft by Minnesota, has career averages of 15.5 points, shooting 50.1 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from beyond the arc, to go with 4.4 rebounds in 33.6 minutes per game.

Michael Olowokandi, originally drafted 1st overall in the 1998 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, is averaging 6.0 points and 5.6 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game during the 2005-06 campaign. The 7-0, 270-pound center has career averages of 8.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 27.7 minutes per game. His best season came in 2002-03 when he averaged 12.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game in 38.0 minutes per game for the Clippers. He was signed as a free agent by the Minnesota Timberwolves on July 16, 2003.

Dwyane Jones, signed as an undrafted free agent by Minnesota on August 26, 2005, is averaging 9.3 points and 11.3 boards per game for the Florida Flame of the NBDL. The 6-11, 250-pound center ranked 5th in the nation in rebounding (11.6) and blocks (3.0), while averaging 10.1 points per game for St. Joseph's in 2004-05. An early entry candidate for the 2005 NBA Draft, Jones averaged 7.1 points and 8.5 boards per game in three seasons with St. Joseph's.

"We are ecstatic to acquire a player of Wally Szczerbiak's quality to compliment Paul Pierce and our young talent base", said Celtics Executive Director of Basketball Operations, Danny Ainge. "In Wally we are receiving an All-Star player who is playoff tested and who has been a winner at all levels. We wish Ricky, Mark, Marcus, and Justin continued success in Minnesota."

"Through this trade, we've become a much more athletic team," said Minnesota Timberwolves Vice President of Basketball Operations Kevin McHale. "With Ricky Davis, we've added one of the more talented shooting guards in the NBA - both on the offensive and defensive ends of the court. Plus, with Davis and Trenton Hassell together on the court, we'll have a great defensive presence at the 2-3 positions."

"Mark Blount is big man who can score. He has the ability to play in the high post as well as the low post. With Banks and Reed, we've added a couple of younger players that have athletic ability."

"It was a tough decision to trade Wally," added McHale. "He has been the ultimate professional and a very good player for us through the years. I wish him nothing but the best of luck with the rest of his NBA career."

Davis, a 6-7 guard from Iowa, is averaging 19.7 points (.464 FG%), 4.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 41.6 minutes per game in 42 games this season (all starts) for the Celtics. He has scored 20-plus points in 26 games and scored 30-plus points on four occasions. This season, Davis led the Celtics in scoring in 11 games and led or tied for the team lead in assists in 22 contests. In his eight-year NBA career, Davis has posted 13.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.2 apg and 28.4 mpg in 465 games (169 starts). He was originally drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in the first round (21st overall) of the 1998 NBA Draft.

Blount, a 7-0 center from Pittsburgh, is averaging 12.4 points (.511 FG%), 4.2 rebounds and 27.8 minutes per game in 39 contests (25 starts) for Boston this season. Blount’s best season in the NBA came in the 2003-04 when he played in all 82 regular-season games for Boston (73 starts), and finished with career highs in scoring (843 points, 10.3 ppg), rebounds (589, 7.2 rpg) and field goal percentage (.566, 342-604). In 392 career NBA regular-season games (236 starts), Blount has tallied 7.3 ppg and 4.5 rpg in 21.8 mpg. Blount was originally selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in the second round (55th overall) of the 1997 NBA Draft. Banks, a 6-2 guard from UNLV, was selected 13th overall in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies and had his draft rights traded to Boston in a multi-player deal. In 18 games this season, Banks is averaging 5.5 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 14.9 minutes. In two-plus seasons with the Celtics, he has appeared in 180 games (five starts) with averages of 5.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 2.0 apg and 15.6 mpg.

Szczerbiak, a 6-7 guard, is averaging 20.1 ppg (.495 FG%), 4.8 rpg and 38.9 mpg in 40 games (all starts) for Minnesota this season. He has topped the Wolves in scoring on 17 occasions, including a season-high 34 points at the L.A. Lakers on Dec. 2. In 438 career NBA regular-season games, Szczerbiak has averaged 15.4 ppg and 4.4 rpg in 37.0 mpg. Szczerbiak, who had spent his first six-plus seasons with the Wolves, was drafted in the first round (sixth overall) of the 1999 NBA Draft.

In 32 games (24 starts) for the Timberwolves this season, Olowokandi is averaging 6.0 points (.446 FG%), and 5.6 rebounds in 23.5 mpg. Olowokandi signed as a free agent with Minnesota on July 16, 2003. The 7-0 center from the University of Pacific played his first five NBA campaigns in Los Angeles after the Clippers made him the first overall selection in the 1998 NBA Draft. In two-plus seasons with Minnesota, Olowokandi has totaled 6.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 21.1 mpg in 137 regular-season contests.

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