Walker heads to Miami in five-team transaction

The days of Antoine Walker in a Boston uniform are finally over.

With the NBA granting approval for a five-team, 13-player deal -- the largest in league history -- Walker will move to Miami as part of a sign-and-trade transaction. The power forward will earn $53 million over the next six years, starting at approximately $6.9 million for the upcoming season, and he avoids the embarrassment of taking mid-level exception money ($5 million).

Until 1 a.m. yesterday, when the deal truly took shape after conversations among Miami president Pat Riley, Boston executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge, and Walker's agent, Mark Bartelstein, Walker remained one of a handful of high-profile free agents without a home.

In exchange for Walker, Boston will receive two second-round picks from Miami (one in 2006 and one conditional pick in 2007 or '08); the rights to Albert Miralles, who currently plays for Valencia, Spain; a $5 million trade exception; Utah 7-footer Curtis Borchardt, and Miami wing player Qyntel Woods, as well as cash considerations from Miami.

The trade exception allows the Celtics to do a deal in the next year in which the money does not match by the percentages required by the collective bargaining agreement.

''It was not critical that we get something for Antoine, but it's good that we did," said Ainge. ''It's not a barn-burner, but we felt Antoine was going to end up in Miami regardless of whether we did a deal. So we got some draft picks and a trade exception.

''The draft picks, you never know where they're going to be. They're assets. They're swings of the bat. The later they are, the fewer home runs that are hit, but nevertheless, they are assets that are tradable and things that can be thrown into another deal. And the trade exception is an asset."

Considering that Walker received more tangible benefits in the deal, the veteran and his agent were understandably excited.

''Antoine is thrilled," said Bartelstein. ''When everything started, he wanted to see if he could stay in Boston. But with it clearly difficult to do a long-term contract because of [the Celtics'] investment in their young guys, it became my job to find a way to do a sign-and-trade. It just came down to me and Pat Riley and Danny trying to get all the pieces together."

Other players trading places in the deal include: the Grizzlies' Jason Williams and James Posey heading to the Heat, Eddie Jones moving from Miami to Memphis, Greg Ostertag going from Memphis to Utah, Miami's Rasual Butler and Utah's Kirk Snyder joining New Orleans, and Andre Emmett heading from Memphis to Miami. New Orleans also gives Miami the rights to foreign player Roberto Duenas.

While Borchardt will compete for a job with the Celtics, don't expect to see Woods in a Boston uniform. The Celtics have a glut of players at the wing position, plus his past off-court problems make Woods a less-than-ideal fit for the organization. But the Celtics might not waive Woods immediately, preferring to see whether thay could throw him into another deal before the season.

Borchardt, who will be entering his third year in the league, averaged 3.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in 67 games with Utah last season (12.8 minutes per game). The 6-foot-8-inch Woods enters his fourth NBA season after playing only three games for Miami last year.

Both Borchardt (slated to make $1.9 million this season) and Woods ($700,000) are entering the final year of their contracts. And, in any event, the cash considerations the Celtics receive will cover their salaries. Miralles will remain overseas.

Ainge is committed to developing the young players Boston has drafted in his tenure, and with that in mind, Ainge was reluctant to offer Walker a long-term deal.

''At some point, we have to allow our young talent to blossom," said Ainge. ''Although I don't want all young players, we do have great expectations and hope with Al Jefferson at the power forward position. We expect him to play more than he did last year. I don't know what his role will be [this season], but it would be difficult to sign Antoine to a long-term contract and have Al deserve more minutes in the next year or two."

''This was such a difficult and complicated deal and it was very hard to get done," said Bartelstein. ''Obviously, the Celtics' job is to help the Celtics first, but they also did right by Antoine. They were not in position to give Antoine a long-term contract. At the end of the day, Danny and [owner] Wyc [Grousbeck] agreed to do what I asked them to do. They showed tremendous loyalty to a player who has done a lot for their franchise."

In his second stint with the Celtics, Walker played a little more than three months in his familiar No. 8 uniform. But without the emotional and physical boost he provided, Boston probably would not have won its first Atlantic Division title since 1991-92 and might have missed the playoffs entirely.

Walker made an impact as soon as he returned in a trading-deadline deal Feb. 24. The Celtics won 11 of their next 12 games, a streak that helped them earn the No. 3 seed in the East and home-court advantage for the first round in the playoffs.

Walker averaged 16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 27 regular-season games.

Walker will not finish his career in Boston as he once said he wanted to, but he certainly leaves the city under remarkably better terms second-time around.

''This is a good deal for Antoine and this a good deal for us," said Ainge. ''We wish Antoine well. He's been a very good Celtic the first time around and the second time around. Antoine is a player that was a lightning rod but I think it was good for him to come back to Boston and finish on a more positive note. Hopefully, he feels it was as good an experience as we feel it was."