BOSTON (AP) – The Boston Celtics signed Kendrick Perkins to a multi-year contract extension Monday after the best of the center’s three seasons with the team.

“It is great to have one of our building blocks secured for the next few years,” executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge said in a statement issued by the team. “We are looking forward to his continued development this upcoming season.”

Terms of the contract were not announced.

Last season, Perkins averaged career highs of 5.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 19.6 minutes per game. He was taken with the 27th pick of the 2003 draft by Memphis, which sent him and the draft rights to Marcus Banks to Boston for the draft rights to Troy Bell and Dahntay Jones.

AP-ES-09-11-06 1846EDT