The New Orleans Hornets traded guard Dan Dickau to the Boston Celtics on Friday for a second round pick in the 2006 draft.

Dickau, now an unrestricted free agent following the end of the regular season, was signed by the Hornets before the trade in order to facilitate the deal.

"After we drafted Chris Paul, it became obvious that Dan would look to sign elsewhere in order to have a chance to compete for a starting point guard job," said Hornets head Coach Byron Scott in a statement.

"Making this trade gives Dan that chance, which he earned by what he did for us last season, and it also prevents us from losing him without compensation."

Dickau averaged 13.2 points and 5.2 assists in 67 games for the Hornets last season.

Source: Xinhua