Dickau traded to Blazers by Celtics

WALTHAM, Mass. – The Boston Celtics selected Villanova guard Randy Foye with the No. 7 pick in the NBA draft Wednesday night, then promptly traded him to the Portland Trail Blazers for Sebastian Telfair in a five-player deal that included former Gonzaga University point guard Dan Dickau.

The Blazers then shipped Foye’s rights to Minnesota for Brandon Roy, the Washington guard who was taken sixth by the Timberwolves.

In the deal with Portland, Boston also received center Theo Ratliff and a second-round draft pick in 2008 in return for Foye, forward Raef LaFrentz, Dickau and cash considerations.

The Celtics were expected to draft a point guard and earlier this week worked out Foye, Connecticut’s Marcus Williams and Kentucky’s Rajon Rondo, but opted instead to go with a player with NBA experience.

The Celtics later acquired the rights to Rondo from Phoenix, which took him with the No. 21 pick. Boston also received Brian Grant in exchange for a first-round pick next year that the Celtics had acquired from Cleveland.

“We felt like speed is the way the game is going right now,” said Danny Ainge, the Celtics executive director of basketball operations. “You see in Chicago and you see in Dallas all those different teams playing multiple point guards at one time. I don’t think you can have too many.”

In two years with Portland, Telfair averaged 8.1 points and 3.5 assists.

He averaged 12.6 points and four assists through the first eight games last season, but lost his starting job after injuring his thumb.

The 21-year-old Telfair was drafted out of New York’s Lincoln High School with the No. 13 pick of the 2004 draft.

The 6-foot-4 Foye was a first-team All-American as a senior last year at Villanova after averaging 20.5 points and 5.7 rebounds.

He led the Wildcats in scoring and was second in rebounds, assists and steals.

Dickau averaged 3.3 ppg in 19 games for Boston last season.