In the 2023 offseason, the Boston Celtics were eager to land Kristaps Porzingis, eventually even trading Marcus Smart to crack the deal, ending the guard’s nine-year stint with the franchise. Their decision wasn’t popular, as the veteran had become a fan favorite by this point. Despite this, however, it is how the front office handled his exit that was the most shocking, as the now-Grizzlies star revealed.
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On the Run Your Race podcast, Smart revealed that the Celtics did not inform him that they could trade him if an opportunity presented itself. The guard also said they didn’t have the courtesy of letting him know when he had been dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies in a three-team trade that brought Porzingis to Boston. He said,
“Man, I was actually asleep [when I was traded]. Can’t even go to sleep no more… I had a big a*s migraine… That’s what made it so crazy bro… I remember my wife coming in, it was like 11 and we still ain’t heard nothing. So I go back to sleep. Like 11:50 or something, she reading a tweet and then my agent called my wife and he’s like, ‘Hey, what you doing?’ She’s like, ‘I already know! Where we getting traded to?'”
Smart said that after his wife spoke to his agent, she woke him up to tell him he had been traded to the Grizzlies. The couple then immediately began looking for houses in Memphis and figuring out the logistics of the move.
The guard claimed he was taken aback by the ordeal. He claimed he wouldn’t have felt slighted had the Celtics told him he was being traded. But the front office keeping him in the dark felt beyond inconsiderate.
There is no doubt that how the Boston Celtics went about their business in this case is unacceptable. After all, even in a business, there needs to be a level of respect for and from both entities. Yet, the franchise failed to uphold even this bare minimum.
Still, Smart claimed he harbors no ill feelings towards the Celtics. He noted the admiration and affection that the fans showed him during his nine years in Boston outweighed the disappointment of his unceremonious exit.
Fans and teammates valued the former Defensive Player of the Year’s contribution and it seemed like the team did too, until they traded him. In fact, they may have even gone a slight step further to further their own profits.
Did the Celtics jack up Marcus Smart’s trade value via social media?
13 hours before they traded Marcus Smart, the team’s social media accounts posted a video highlighting how critical he was to the team’s success.
“I go out there and leave everything I have on the floor.”
Nobody hustles harder than @smart_MS3 pic.twitter.com/5zy629nj9E
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) June 21, 2023
The timing of the post prompted speculation that the team may have only been looking to jack up his value. It’s unclear whether it was an unfortunate coincidence or a shrewd tactic, but it no longer matters.
Kristaps Porzingis helped the Celtics win a title and their risky decision to land the injury-prone center at the expense of Smart is now deemed a masterstroke.
On the other end of the table, Smart’s experience should serve as a stark reminder to the rest of the players in the NBA that they are all seen as nothing more than assets. Teams wouldn’t think twice before trading them if they could land a better asset, regardless of their contribution to the franchise.
