Sonics deal Allen to Celtics

Also part of the deal, Boston will get Seattle’s No. 35 pick in the second round, while the Sonics will receive a future second-round pick.

Allen missed the final month of last season with bone spurs in his left ankle. Before then he was averaging a career-best 26.4 ppg and had led the Sonics in scoring on 40 occasions.

The Celtics had the second worst record in the league in 2006-07, as they finished with a dismal 24-58 record. Now, though, Allen will join sharp- shooter Paul Pierce in Beantown, giving the Celtics a potent 1-2 combination.

A seven-time All-Star selection, Allen, who turns 32 next month, has averaged 21.5 points over his career, which started in 1996 in Milwaukee. The fifth overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by Minnesota, Allen was acquired by the Sonics from Milwaukee on February 20, 2003 and has been regarded as one of the best shooting guards in the league.

Green’s move to the Sonics makes a complete overhaul to the team’s frontcourt, as he joined Texas’ Kevin Durant, the No. 2 overall pick in Thursday’s draft. Green, the Big East Player of the Year and a Third-Team All-American as a junior, is also known as a standout defender who uses his strong 6-foot-9, 235-pound frame to its fullest. He averaged a team-best 14.3 points and had 6.4 rebounds a game for the Hoyas last season.

The Sonics needed a boost to their frontcourt, especially since Rashard Lewis is expected to leave the club via free agency. Seattle is coming off a disappointing 31-51 season in which it missed the playoffs for the second straight year.

The 30-year-old Szczerbiak joins his third team since breaking into the league with Minnesota in 1999. He averaged 15 points last season, but was limited to 32 games due to ankle injuries.

West, who was moved to the shooting guard spot and then back to the point this past season, averaged 12.2 points.