(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
After falling short to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals recently, the Boston Celtics were expected to make some moves in the NBA offseason in order to get back on track as the team to beat in the East.
There had been a lot of speculation about Jaylen Brown’s future with the team, as Boston seemed to be on the fence about giving him a supermax contract extension and committing to him long-term rather than trading him for what could be a star player better suited to play alongside Jayson Tatum.
At this point, it seems as though it is only a matter of time before Brown gets his extension, securing his long-term future with Boston, but the same can’t be said about veteran point guard Marcus Smart.
Smart was recently traded to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of the deal that sent forward Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics.
The veteran guard, who had played his entire NBA career in Boston, said this about being traded by the team this summer, via Jared Weiss of The Athletic:
Marcus Smart on trade to Memphis Grizzlies: “Fresh start. A lot of things personally in my life this year have happened and it could just put you under, could put you in a dark place. My house flooded…So just for me, to start over and get back to the grind.”
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) July 7, 2023
Shortly after Smart was traded to the Grizzlies, news spread that he was shocked by the trade and was promised by the team that he’d be safe this summer and wouldn’t be involved in any trades.
Clearly, Smart was hurt by how the Celtics handled things, which happens occasionally in this business, but he seems content with his new team and is ready to start fresh in Memphis.
As for the Grizzlies, Smart is precisely the type of player that has thrived in the organization over the years, which means it might not be that long before the avid fan base embraces him and he enjoys playing for the franchise.
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