The Boston Celtics traded Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies, which came as a shock to a lot of their fans. Smart had become one of the leaders of a very good, young Celtics team that made many deep playoff runs in the last few seasons.
It was a bit unexpected but it stands to reason that Smart wasn’t the same level of unmovable as a franchise piece like Jayson Tatum. And Bill Simmons gave a potential reason as to why they decided to move on.
“I think Marcus has been on the team for nine years and felt like it was his team,” Simmons said. “It was him and Tatum and Brown. It was the big three, and he had an outsized voice in the locker room, on the court. I think it was really tough to bench him.
“I think it became a real thing where (Smart) was being treated like he was Tatum or Brown. Meanwhile, White was the better guard the whole year unquestionably, so maybe that was a piece of it. I just feel like, eh, this is awkward. Maybe we gotta just fix this.”
While Marcus Smart isn’t as talented as Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, he had turned into a leader for the Celtics. And he is no slouch by any means, he’s the first guard since Gary Payton to win the Defensive Player Of The Year award. So this take from Simmons seems a bit intense. But after falling short at the very end a few seasons in a row, it might not hurt the Celtics to shake things up a little bit.
Marcus Smart Sent A Lovely Message To Boston After His Trade Was Announced
The NBA is a business at the end of the day, and any player can be traded. While many may have expected Smart to retire as a Celtic, that wasn’t to be the case. And after his move was announced, he sent a heartfelt message to the fans and his teammates.
“Boston, you are a very special place to me,” Smart said. “I grew up here and met some of my best friends here. I’ll never forget my time here. Ultimately, we didn’t get that 18th banner but I’m VERY VERY proud of the success we had. I’m going to miss so many things about Boston but mainly my teammates, fans, and kids and our hospital charity work.”
The Celtics have acquired Kristaps Porzingis, who will bring a different element to the team next season. They will surely be on the lookout to get another guard after losing Smart though, who will start his next chapter in Memphis with the Grizzlies.
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