CLEVELAND (AP) – Ricky Davis wasn’t helping rookie LeBron James or any of the young Cavaliers get any better. Worse, he couldn’t get along with coach Paul Silas.

Someone had to go, and for Cleveland, the choice was easy.

The Cavs traded Davis on Monday, dealing the enigmatic guard to the Boston Celtics in a six-player deal.

Cleveland sent Davis, forwards Chris Mihm and Michael Stewart to the Celtics for forwards Eric Williams, Tony Battie and center Kedrick Brown.

The swap also includes Cleveland giving the Celtics back a second-round pick it received from Boston in a trade last summer.

“The new guys will help us win games, over the long term certainly,” said Silas, who is in his first season with Cleveland. “The atmosphere will change, and it had to. We needed some veteran men who have been in a winning situation, that’s the main thing.”

The Cavs were most interested in acquiring experience to help James, their first-year star.

“We wanted to add some veterans around him so he doesn’t have to shoulder it alone,” general manager Jim Paxson said.

Paxson had talks with several teams this season about trading Davis, a prolific scorer who has butted heads with coaches and teammates throughout his career.

Davis was averaging 15.3 points, third on the Cavaliers behind James (17.7) and Zydrunas Ilgauskas (15.7). The five-year veteran had a breakout season in 2002-03, leading Cleveland in scoring (20.2 points), assists, steals, minutes and 3-point percentage.

But Davis was unable shake his reputation as a selfish player. His me-before-the-team attitude reached its peak during a game against Utah last season, when Davis intentionally missed a shot at his own basket to try to get a rebound that he thought could give him his first career triple-double.

The Celtics are hoping a fresh start will inspire Davis.

“I think he’s a fantastic talent,” said Danny Ainge, Boston’s director or basketball operations, who envisions Davis as a nice scoring complement to Paul Pierce. “He’s a young man that has grown up, I believe, in the last little while and has some things to prove in his career.”

Silas, who coached Davis as a rookie in Charlotte, periodically benched the swingman this season and banished him from the team for a few days before allowing him to return.

Silas seemed to be getting through to Davis, who had 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists in a win over Detroit last week. But in a loss Saturday night to the Celtics, Davis scored three points on 1-for-5 shooting and had seven turnovers in 32 minutes.

With his team off to a 6-17 start, Paxson felt this was the time to make a move.

“When you lose, players get used to losing, so you’ve got to shake it up,” he said.

Mihm was just beginning to blossom into a solid player.

The former first-round pick has played extremely well in a limited role this season for Cleveland. The 7-footer will help Boston immediately, with center Raef LaFrentz currently sidelined with a knee injury.

The 6-10 Stewart, who has two years left on a six-year, $24 million deal he signed with Toronto, was averaging just 10 minutes for Cleveland.

This is Ainge’s second big trade, having sent Antoine Walker and Tony Delk to Dallas in October for center Raef LaFrentz, swingman Jiri Welsch, forward Chris Mills and a first-round draft pick.

Williams will be a free agent after making $5.5 million this season. He was averaging 11.6 points with 4.5 rebounds for Boston, but the Cavs are more interested in his defense.

Battie has been hobbled by knee injuries this season. The No. 5 overall pick by Denver in the 1997 draft is averaging 5.9 points and 5.1 rebounds.

Brown was drafted with the 11th pick of the 2001 draft after two seasons at Okaloosa-Walton Community College. At 6-7, he has been praised for his athleticism but has been a disappointment for the Celtics.

AP-ES-12-15-03 2017EST