How the Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett Trades Built the Celtics’ Big Three and Banner 17

The Celtics didn’t “grow” into the 2008 champions the slow way. They detonated the timeline.

In the summer of 2007, Boston was coming off a brutal, injury-soaked season and staring at the most dangerous place an NBA franchise can live: too much history to accept losing, not enough talent to win, and a star (Paul Pierce) who had every reason to wonder how long he could wait.

The Celtics could either keep collecting young pieces and hope the future arrived on schedule — or swing big and force the present to show up immediately.

Danny Ainge chose the swing-big option. And within a matter of weeks, Boston pulled off two trades that still sit among the most franchise-altering deals of the modern NBA: the one that brought Ray Allen to town, and the one that landed Kevin Garnett.

The setup: why Boston had to take the risk

Before the trades, the Celtics were stuck. After a 24–58 season, Ainge decided “incremental improvement” wasn’t going to cut it. The franchise needed stars — now — and it needed a new identity that could hold up in the playoffs.

That’s what made the next five weeks feel like a high-wire act. Boston wasn’t just shopping. It was reshaping the franchise.

Trade No. 1: Ray Allen — the draft-night domino

Date: June 28, 2007
Boston’s first strike came on draft night, when it acquired Ray Allen from Seattle — a move that instantly changed how the league looked at the Celtics.

What Boston got

• Ray Allen
• The draft rights to the Sonics’ No. 35 pick (Glen Davis)

What Boston sent

• Delonte West
• Wally Szczerbiak
• The draft rights to the No. 5 pick (Jeff Green)
• A future second-round pick

Why the Allen trade mattered beyond the names

This wasn’t just “add a shooter.” It was a credibility trade.

• It gave Pierce a real partner immediately. No more waiting for young players to develop into something; Boston had an All-Star who could score 25 on a given night.
• It changed the Celtics’ posture in every negotiation. Boston went from “team hoping to get lucky” to “team that can sell a real plan to a superstar.”
• It made the next move possible. The Allen trade didn’t finish the job — it opened the door.

Seattle’s side of the logic was clear, too: the Sonics had just drafted Kevin Durant and were shifting toward a younger core, even if it meant the pain of moving a franchise star.

Trade No. 2: Kevin Garnett — the finishing piece

Date: July 31, 2007
The Garnett deal was the one that turned Boston’s offseason from “interesting” to “unstoppable.” The Celtics had tried to get KG before, but the idea didn’t stick — until Allen arrived. Suddenly, Garnett could look at Boston and see a real championship path.

What Boston got

• Kevin Garnett

What Boston sent (the core package)

• Al Jefferson
• Ryan Gomes
• Theo Ratliff
• Gerald Green
• Sebastian Telfair
• Two first-round picks + cash considerations

If you want the pick-specific snapshot: the outgoing draft capital included Boston’s 2009 first-round pick (top-three protected) and Minnesota’s own 2009 first-round pick that Boston previously held from an earlier deal.

Why the Garnett trade changed everything

Garnett didn’t just add talent. He added identity.

Boston suddenly had:

• A defensive anchor who could organize the entire court
• A culture setter who raised the urgency in practices and possessions
• A matchup nightmare who didn’t require the offense to revolve around him to dominate games

And when you combine that with Pierce’s shot-making and Allen’s spacing, you get a roster that made sense in the postseason — where shot quality drops, possessions slow, and defensive details win series.

The “Big Three” becomes real — and the turnaround is immediate

Once Boston had Pierce, Allen and Garnett, the Celtics weren’t building for later. They were built for right now.

The result was one of the most dramatic flips the league has ever seen: Boston jumped from 24 wins to a 66-win season — a 42-game turnaround — and rode that foundation to the 2008 title.

Why these trades still matter in Celtics history

When people talk about the 2008 Celtics, they usually start with the stars — but the real lesson is the sequence and the precision:

• Allen was the first domino: the move that signaled Boston was serious.
• Garnett was the identity shift: the move that made Boston terrifying on defense.
• Together, they modernized the Celtics: not by erasing history, but by restoring the “banner standard” with a roster built to win in June.

In other words: these weren’t just big trades. They were franchise-defining decisions — the kind that don’t just change a season, but change what a team believes is possible.