[7][8][9][10] In the off-season, the team signed free agent Chris Mills,[11][12][13] but then sent him to the New York Knicks in exchange for second-year forward Walter McCarty in October,[14][15][16] and also signed second-year center Travis Knight,[17][18] Andrew DeClercq,[19] Bruce Bowen and Tyus Edney.
[20][21][22][23] After a slow 1–5 start to the season, the Celtics held a 16–14 record as of January 3, 1998, but then lost eight of their next nine games.
At mid-season, the team traded Billups along with Dee Brown to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Kenny Anderson, Popeye Jones and Žan Tabak;[24][25][26][27] the Raptors had acquired Anderson from the Portland Trail Blazers.
[28][29][30][31] The Celtics held a 22–25 record at the All-Star break,[32] and continued to struggle as they later on posted a six-game losing streak in March.
Although the team did not make the playoffs, they improved their win total by 21 games from the previous season, finishing in sixth place in the Atlantic Division with a 36–46 record.