Today in Boston Celtics history: Bradley, Nader inked; Dinwiddie, Kornet born
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Today in Boston Celtics history, in 2014, the storied ball club re-signed guard Avery Bradley to a four-year contract.
Today in Boston Celtics history, in 2014, the storied ball club re-signed guard Avery Bradley to a four-year contract valued at $32 million, which was fully guaranteed and included no player or team options.
Bradley was picked up by the Celtics as the 19th overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft, following his collegiate career at the University of Texas. He remained with the team until the final season of that same contract. One of the last remaining players from the team's previous era of contention, at the start of that final season with Boston, he was traded to the Detroit Pistons, along with draft assets, in exchange for small forward Marcus Morris Sr.
Bradley’s trade was necessitated by the signing of former Utah Jazz All-Star forward Gordon Hayward in the summer of 2017. He averaged 12.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game while with the team.
Transactions
It is also the anniversary of Abdel Nader signing a four-year, $6 million deal with Boston in 2017. Nader was also drafted by the Celtics, with the 58th pick of the 2016 NBA Draft, and would play one season with the team before being dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder, in which he logged 3 points and 1.5 rebounds per contest.
Phil Pressey was waived on this date in 2015, after two seasons with the team. The Dallas native was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Missouri in 2013, and he recorded 3.1 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. Demetrius Jackson was also waived today in 2017, having been drafted by the team in 2016 out of Notre Dame with the 45th overall pick. He was with the Celtics for just five games, over which he averaged 2 points per tilt.
Birthdays
It is the birthday of Bill Dinwiddie (as he was known with Boston, later Rashid Shabazz), who came into this world in 1943. An alum of New Mexico Highlands, he was traded to the team in exchange for the rights to Bob Cousy, who wished to play for the team he now coached (the Cincinnati Royals) as a publicity stunt. Boston still had his rights. Dinwiddie played just one season for the team, recording 4.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
Ex-Boston big man Lorenzo Williams shares the birthday with him, born in Ocala, Florida in 1969. Having turned 10-day contracts into a rest-of-season deal in 1993, Williams played 22 games with the franchise, logging 1.5 points and 2 boards per game.
He shares that birthday with Celtics center Luke Kornet, who was born this day in 1995 to fellow NBAer Frank Kornet and his wife (and broadcaster) Tracy Kornet. Now in the midst of his second stint with Boston, the Vanderbilt product has averaged 4.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game in 30 games across five seasons with the Celtics.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Today in Boston Celtics history: Bradley, Nader inked; Dinwiddie, Kornet born