The Boston Celtics once again came up short of their goals this season and were eliminated in the first-round of the NBA Playoffs by the Brooklyn Nets. Since that loss, Danny Ainge has retired and Brad Stevens has left his role as head coach to take over as President of Basketball Operations. Now, there are rumors that Marcus Smart could be traded in the offseason.
Smart has been dangled in trade rumors over the last couple of years. However, the Celtics have not pulled the trigger on moving him. That could change as the organization is undergoing major changes in the front office.
A report from HoopsHype mentioned that the Celtics are expected to trade Smart this offseason.
“I think they’ll trade Smart this summer if I had to guess,” an NBA executive told HoopsHype. “Retool around Tatum and Brown if they can get real value for Smart, but a lot up in the air there.”
Also included in the report was that a late first-round pick could be enough to get the Celtics to make a trade. Smart is well worth a late first-round pick for a contender. He is an elite perimeter defender and has the ability to score and shoot the ball decently well.
During the 2020-21 NBA season with Boston, Smart ended up averaging 13.1 points per game to go along with 5.7 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals. He shot 39.8 percent from the floor overall and knocked down 33.0 percent of his three-point attempts.
All of that being said, let’s dive in and take a look at three teams who should try to acquire Marcus Smart from the Celtics this offseason.
