Celtics deal Davis, Blount

Almost two weeks ago, the teams were close to completing a straight swap, Blount for Olowokandi. Talks between Ainge and Minnesota regained serious momentum over the past 24 hours. The Timberwolves were interested in acquiring Ron Artest, but once Indiana officially dealt him to the Kings Wednesday, it apparently cleared the way for an expanded deal between Boston and Minnesota. Olowokandi and Szczerbiak are scheduled to arrive in Boston from Houston this afternoon and take physicals. As of late last night, Celtics officials were uncertain if they would be in uniform for tonight's game against the Kings, though they are hopeful Olowokandi and Szczerbiak will be available to play. The former teammates will certainly face each other when Boston plays at Minnesota on Monday.

''We feel like we were moving Mark to free up minutes and opportunities for Kendrick Perkins and Al Jefferson," said Ainge after confirming the deal last night. ''We wanted to make it easier for the development of Kendrick and Al. That's a priority of ours.

''We feel Wally can complement Paul in a different way. Wally is a high-percentage shooter and he's a better post-up player. But more than anything, he's just different than Ricky. We have a couple of young, athletic wings in Gerald Green and Tony Allen. Wally is a better shooter than everybody in this deal. More than anything, we just want to see how it all works. We believe [Pierce and Szczerbiak] will be a great combination."

Szczerbiak is the only player in the deal likely to see significant playing time with the Celtics, especially considering how much coach Doc Rivers relied on Davis, who ranks among the league leaders with 41.6 minutes per game. In 40 starts with Minnesota this season, the 6-foot-7-inch Szczerbiak averaged 38.9 minutes. After this season, Szczerbiak has three years and $36 million remaining on his contract.