Today in Boston Celtics history, the storied franchise lost several players in the 1963 NBA expansion draft which was held by the league to populate the rosters of two new teams being added to the league. Expansion drafts typically operate in a manner similar to regular NBA drafts; however, the incoming team or teams have the opportunity to select players from the rosters of existing ball clubs. Each team is allowed to designate a certain number of "protected" players, ensuring that these individuals are safeguarded from being drafted by the expansion team or teams.

The new teams in question were the San Diego Rockets and Seattle SuperSonics. The former is now located in Houston, Texas as the Houston Rockets since relocating to Texas in 1971, and the latter now the Oklahoma City Thunder since moving to that state in 2008.

Boston would lose three players in total to the two expansion teams.

Transactions

The first Boston player taken was UConn alum Toby Kimball, a forward who played just one season with the Celtics. He averaged 2.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game across 38 contests. The second Boston player drafted was Ron Watts, a 6-foot-6 forward out of Wake Forest, taken with the 17th overall pick of the 1966 draft. He won a title with the Celtics in his rookie season and played two seasons with Boston before being drafted away, over which he averaged 1.4 points, and as many rebounds per game.

Finally, the last player selected from the Celtics' roster was wing Jim Barnett, drafted by the Celtics with the eighth overall pick of the 1966 NBA Draft out of Oregon. Barnett played one season with the Celtics, averaging 4.1 points, 1.1 boards, and 0.9 assists per game.

In 1948 on this date, the team traded center Ed Sadowski to the (then) Philadelphia (now, Golden State) Warriors for Hank Beenders and Chick Halbert. Sadowski had joined the team the previous July when Boston picked him up from the Cleveland Rebels dispersal draft. The Seton Hall alum played 47 games with the Celtics, averaging 19.4 points and 1.6 assists per game (rebounds had yet to be recorded).

Birthdays

It is also the birthday of big man Amir Johnson, born in Los Angeles, California in 1987.

Johnson signed a two-season contract to play for Boston in 2015 after stints with the Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors and averaged 6.9 points, 5.5 boards, and 1.7 assists over his career with the Celtics.

This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: 3 players lost to 1967 expansion draft; Amir Johnson born