On Wednesday night, the Wizards pulled off a clutch trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Boston but Marcus Smart was traded to the Grizzlies.
Smart is the longest-serving Celtics player on the roster and was the heart and soul of the team so Boston fans were in shock, as was Smart himself.
It was a “gut punch” and a “complete shock” to the 2022 DPOY according to a source close to him, Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach reports.
“Smart joined a brief call with his closest confidants late Wednesday night, sources said, and expressed hurt that out of all the guards on the roster, the Celtics decided to part ways with him,” Himmelsbach said. “He had come so far with the franchise and was determined to hang its first championship banner since 2008. He believed they were so close.”
Although Smart will likely thrive in Memphis, Boston was his spiritual and physical home.
“Marcus loves Boston,” one source said. “He thought he was going to retire there. He wanted to retire there.”
Grizzlies’ star guard Ja Morant is suspended for the first 25 games of the season, so doubt Smart will be playing a big role on offense.
He could create a great combination with players like Steven Adams and can forge a partnership with the 2023 DPOY Jaren Jackson Jr.
Smart has spent his entire nine-year NBA career at the C’s and was selected in three All-NBA Defensive teams.
Plus, became the first guard since Gary ‘The Glove’ Payton to win DPOY.
Even though Boston pulled off a hell of a trade, the team isn’t done yet, according to Heavy Sports NBA insider Steve Bulpett.
“As much as we feel a need to make assessments in the wake of the Marcus Smart/Kristaps Porzingis/and-don’t-forget-the-draft-picks trade, there is the strong belief around the NBA that Brad Stevens isn’t done reshaping the roster,” Bulpett said.