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Celtics Acquire Four-Time All-Star Baker, Williams from Seattle

Five Player Deal Sends Anderson, Potapenko and Forte to Sonics

Baker

BOSTON, MA (July 22, 2002) -- The Boston Celtics announced today they have acquired Vin Baker and Shammond Williams from the Seattle Supersonics in exchange for Kenny Anderson , Vitaly Potapenko and Joseph Forte .

A four-time NBA All-Star and member of the gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic team in 2000, Baker boasts career averages of 16.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, while recording 1.12 blocks per contest. The 6-11, 250-pound forward has never averaged less than 12 points per contest in any of his nine seasons in the league, with his best years as a pro thus far coming in 1995 and 1996 when he averaged 21.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 21.0 points and 10.3 rebounds respectively as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. In fact, the 1996 season marked the first time a member of the Bucks had logged over 20 points and 10 boards in a season since Kareem-Abdul Jabbar in 1974-75. Last season with Seattle, he averaged 14.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. However, in 18 appearances against Eastern Conference teams he averaged 17.3 points and 6.6 rebounds including a season-high 32 points against Cleveland on January 11. Over the last five seasons with the Sonics, Baker has squared-off against his former Eastern Conference foes, posting 16.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest.

Williams

Following a standout four-year career at the University of Hartford where he averaged 20.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game (including a 28.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per contest in his senior season), Baker was selected in the first round (eighth overall) of the 1993 draft by Milwaukee. As a Buck, he appeared in 324 of a possible 328 regular season games and led the NBA in minutes played (3361, 41.0) in 1994-95 when he averaged 17.7 ppg and 10.3 rpg. Traded to Seattle on September 25, 1997 in a three-way-deal involving the Cleveland Cavaliers ion which the Bucks received Terrell Brandon and Tyrone Hill, Baker has help lead the Sonics to three postseason appearances and has averaged 14.7 points and 7.9 rebounds in 20 playoff appearances.

A 6-1, 201-pound guard, Williams averaged 4.4 points and 1.7 assists per game last season with Seattle. A four-year NBA veteran, Williams was originally selected out of the University of North Carolina by the Chicago Bulls in the second round (34th overall) of the 1998 NBA Draft, but immediately traded to Atlanta. After being waived by the Hawks on February 19, 1999, he signed with Seattle as a free agent on August 12, 1999. In 2000-01, he logged 17.9 minutes per game and shot .459 from three-point territory while scoring 6.8 points per game.

Anderson, who was acquired in a seven-player trade with Toronto on February 18, 1998, averaged 11.3 points and 5.2 assists in his 241-game Celtics career. Potapenko, acquired in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 11, 1999 for a draft pick and Andrew DeClercq, spent the last four seasons in Boston, averaging 7.5 points and 5.8 board in a 273-game Celtics career. Forte, who was selected with the 21st overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, played in eight games in his rookie season.