The Boston Celtics continued their notable offseason this afternoon by making the sign-and-trade with the Houston Rockets and the Portland Trail Blazers for shooting guard Courtney Lee official.

In the end the Celtics dealt E’Twaun Moore, JaJuan Johnson and Sean Williams along with a second-round pick to the Rockets to seal the deal for Lee. Additionally, Sasha Pavlovic, two second-round picks and cash considerations were sent to the Trail Blazers.

Lee averaged 11.4 points per game while shooting 40.1% from beyond the arc last season with Houston. He, paired with fellow free-agent signee Jason Terry, should help account for the production and shooting ability lost when Ray Allen chose to sign with the Miami Heat at the start of free agency. Like other Celtics, Lee has extensive playoff experience as he was a member of the 2008-2009 Orlando Magic that played for an NBA Title, though they fell to the Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Terry and Lee, along with the re-signed Kevin Garnett, Brandon Bass and Jeff Green should make for a 2012-13 roster that should be much deeper than the ’11′-’12 team. First-round big men Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo also add young talent into the mix and should be able to compete for minutes immediately, especially if free-agent center Greg Steimsma does not return.

The Celtics added depth this offseason should go a long way to keep them in contention with the Heat, Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks for an Eastern Conference crown again in 2013.

Kyle Cormier

Kyle is currently a senior at the University of New Hampshire where he majors in Sport Studies. At the university he works in the athletic department as a marketing intern. Thus far in his writing career he has been published in UNH’s student run paper entitled The New Hampshire, his personal site www.kylecormier.com, and Bleacher Report where he is currently a New England Patriots Featured Columnist. Follow him on Twitter @KyleJCormier.