– The Associated Press

BOSTON – The Boston Celtics obtained forward JaJuan Johnson of Purdue in the first round of the NBA draft Thursday night.

In the second round, with the 55th overall selection, Boston selected E’Twaun Moore, a shooting guard, also of Purdue.

Johnson actually was taken by the New Jersey Nets with the 27th overall pick, then was traded to the Celtics for guard Marshon Brooks of Providence, who Boston had taken with the 25th choice.

The Celtics also will receive a second-round pick in the 2014 draft from the Nets.

Boston went into the draft needing size and shooting. The 6-foot-10 Johnson, a member of The Associated Press first-team All-America squad this year, provides the size.

The Celtics are hoping that More, his teammate with the Boilermakers, will help with his shooting.

At first it appeared that Brooks, the nation’s second-leading scorer with 24.6 points per game this season, would have brought the shooting. But then came the trade.

Johnson, the Big Ten player of the year and defensive player of the year in 2010-11, averaged 20.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks last season. For his four years at Purdue, he averaged 13.7 points and 6.1 rebounds, and sank 50.1 percent of his shots.

“The sky is the limit for JaJuan,” Purdue Coach Matt Painter said. “This is a great day for him and his family, and it’s the beginning of a great career. He’s a relentless worker who will do a great job of getting himself ready to play.”

Johnson is the first player from Purdue chosen in the first round since Glenn Robinson was the first overall pick in 1994.

Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge had said he didn’t expect much help from the draft in the coming season, but was hopeful the players he picked could play some role as rookies and develop into bigger contributors as the team moves on from the Big Three era.

Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, both 35, are signed for just one more season. Paul Pierce, 33, has three years left on his contract.

The only other Celtics signed for next season are guards Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley, and center Jermaine O’Neal. Coach Doc Rivers is signed for five more years.

BACK IN JERSEY: This is the second time the NBA draft was held in New Jersey.

In 1996, just months after hosting the Final Four, the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, was the site of the draft. The Philadelphia 76ers got things started that night by selecting Allen Iverson of Georgetown at No. 1.

This year’s draft was held in the Prudential Center and the Cleveland Cavaliers opened it up by selecting another guard, Kyrie Irving of Duke, who went to high school in nearby Elizabeth, N.J.

The draft took on an even more local angle with pick No. 22.

Commissioner David Stern walked to the podium and said “with the 22nd pick the Denver Nuggets select Newark’s own Kenneth Faried of Morehead State.”

Sections of the sellout crowd of 8,417 erupted into cheers, none louder than a group of people who used to be very close to Faried. Holding signs that read “Technology High School Teachers (heart) Kenneth Faried,” a group of his former teachers jumped and started snapping pictures.

The all-time leading rebounder in NCAA history, the 6-foot-9 Faried had a big smile on his face during a TV interview when he thanked “everybody for coming out.”

INTERNATIONAL INTRIGUE: Enes Kanter of Turkey, who enrolled at Kentucky but was never eligible to compete in NCAA competition, was the third overall pick by the Utah Jazz.

The 6-foot-11 Kanter was the highest picked international player since Andrea Bargnani of Italy was the overall No. 1 pick by Toronto in 2006.

Bargnani was the second international player taken No. 1, joining Yao Ming of China, who was taken by Houston in 2002.

Last year’s top international pick was Kevin Seraphin of France ,who was taken with 17th pick by the Chicago Bulls.

Kanter’s selection was greeted enthusiastically by his fellow Turks.

“The Utah Jazz’s selection of Enes Kanter extends the rich bilateral basketball relationship between the United States and Turkey,” Namik Tan, Turkey’s ambassador to the United States, said in a statement.