(Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
For years, the Boston Celtics and Marcus Smart were tangled up in trade rumors.
Smart was always a very good player but not a star, thus making him one of their most valuable trade assets.
And while he had managed to survive and stayed there through thick and thin, Brad Stevens finally cut him loose to get Kristaps Porzingis.
Smart pretty much embodied almost everything that the Celtics fandom wanted from their players, and losing him was a big blow to the locker room as well.
That’s why the former Defensive Player of the Year seemingly took a bit of a shot at the organization, talking to Jared Weiss about how other people’s ‘trash’ can be someone else’s gold.
NEW STORY: As the Memphis Grizzlies begin their season without Ja Morant, Marcus Smart is stepping in.
“You always want to be where you’re wanted and another team’s trash is another team’s gold.”
Behind the scenes of the Grizzlies’ grit & grind revival:https://t.co/1oyxA9KTHy pic.twitter.com/RAcoP8CC7T
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) October 24, 2023
Truth be told, Smart is tailor-made for the Grizzlies’ current needs.
He’s an elite backcourt defender, a vocal leader, and someone who won’t hesitate to hold every single one of his teammates accountable, and that goes a long way, especially for Ja Morant.
The Grizzlies have a lot of young players who do a lot of talking but don’t actually intimidate other teams because they often fail to back it up on the court, while Smart has made it to the NBA Finals and is a guy other players don’t want to mess with.
Smart will keep them all in line, and he’ll also be an elite replacement for Morant as he misses the first 25 games of the season with a suspension.
As for the Celtics, they got better on paper, but lost Smart’s leadership and intangibles.
The post Marcus Smart Takes A Dig At Celtics With Latest Statement appeared first on The Cold Wire.