Celtics Sign First Round Picks Banks and Perkins

BOSTON, MA -- The Boston Celtics announced that they have signed first round selections Marcus Banks and Kendrick Perkins to contracts. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Banks

Perkins

Banks, a 6-2, 200lb guard who was selected with the 13th pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies, played the final two seasons of his collegiate career for UNLV’s Running Rebels, averaging 18.1 points and 4.3 assists in 63 games. As a junior, Banks led the Mountain West Conference in steals and ranked sixth in scoring, on his way to earning Second Team All-MWC honors and MWC Defensive Player of the Year honors.

As a senior, Banks averaged 20.3 points and 5.5 steals in 32 games, while shooting 51.4 percent from the field. He led the conference in assists and steals (7th in nation), and ranked second in scoring (36th in nation). He was named to the First Team All-Mountain West Conference squad and was Co-Defensive Player of the Year.

Perkins, a 6-10, 280lb center who was selected with the 27th pick also by Memphis, was an early entry candidate coming out of Clifton J. Ozen High School in Beaumont, Texas. As a senior, Perkins averaged 27.5 points, 16.4 rebounds and 7.8 blocks per game. He led his high school to a 96-3 record over his final three seasons, earning All-State honors each year. He also captured four consecutive District Championships and won the state 4A title his sophomore season.

The Celtics acquired the draft rights to Marcus Banks and Kendrick Perkins in a draft-day trade with the Grizzlies. The Celtics selected Boston College’s Troy Bell and Duke’s Dahntay Jones with their 16th and 20th picks, respectively. Boston then sent those two picks to Memphis in exchange for Banks and Perkins.

Both players will play in the Reebok Pro Summer League, scheduled for Monday, July 14 through Sunday, July 20 at the Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium on the campus of the University of Massachusetts-Boston.