Marcus Smart was reportedly blindsided by trade from Celtics
Boston Celtics fans weren’t the only ones blindsided by the Marcus Smart trade. The news reportedly stunned Smart, as well.
“Several people close to Smart said he was blindsided by last Wednesday’s trade. One told me Smart was asked if he wanted to cancel his annual summer basketball clinics for kids in Texas and Boston this week so he could regroup after the sudden life changes,” Adam Himmelsbach of the “Boston Globe” wrote.
The NBA is a brutal business. Last Wednesday, Smart was involved in a three-team trade between the Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies that sent Smart to the Grizzlies, center Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics and guard Tyus Jones to the Wizards.
Marcus Smart’s Celtics career
The situation is unknown territory for Smart. The 29-year-old has been a Celtic his whole career after the organization drafted with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Smart played in Boston for nine seasons, averaging 10.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.
While Smart was a consistent offensive contributor, the pesty guard shined on defense. Smart was a three-time NBA All-Defense Team member. Additionally, the 6-foot-3 starter brought home the 2022 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Saying goodbye
On Saturday, Smart posted a final message to Celtics fans.
“Where do I even begin…as I start to think about the last 9 years I have a lot of emotions running [through] me. I came to Boston as a naive kid from Dallas not really knowing what to expect. All I knew was the type of work ethic my momma instilled in me and I was going to work my a** off and make sure I EARNED the respect of each and every one of the fans in Boston. Which is why this was [tough]. Boston, you are a very special place to me. 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. It was a great 9 years Boston, thank you for all the love…but now it’s time to look forward,” Smart wrote.
With the departure of Dillon Brooks this offseason, Smart will provide the Grizzlies with some much-needed defense. The Grizzlies now boast the last two NBA Defensive Players of the Year with Jaron Jackson and Smart. Memphis fans can only hope Smart provides the franchise with similar success as his previous organization.