The 1978–79 Boston Celtics season was the 33rd season of the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was the worst record of any Celtics team that played between 1950 and 1996. Prior to the season, owner Irv Levin swapped franchises with the Buffalo Braves ownership group led by John Y. Brown, Jr. Levin had wanted to have a team in his native California, but knew the other league owners would not consider a move of the Celtics. He therefore brokered a deal with Brown to swap franchises, and then moved the Braves to San Diego to become the Clippers. In the meantime, a deal was brokered, without consulting team president Red Auerbach, to trade three players (Freeman Williams, Kevin Kunnert and Kermit Washington) to the Braves for Tiny Archibald, Billy Knight and Marvi