#3 Marcus Smart – Boston Celtics

Although he is already under contract and on the Boston Celtics’ roster, Marcus Smart should be a target for Boston this offseason in terms of a player they look to “lock up” long-term. He is entering the final year of his contract and is set to make $13.8M, but Smart is invaluable to this team. 

He is their catalyst on the defensive-end of the floor and offensively, Smart has been getting better and better as a facilitator and playmaker. This year, he averaged a career-high 13.1 points per game and averaged a career-high 5.7 assists per game. Not to mention, Marcus Smart is a 2x All-Defense performer and one of the best on-ball defenders in the league. 

If the Celtics were to pass up on the opportunity to re-sign Marcus Smart to a long-term deal now, not only could he be worth more after the 2021-22 season, but the Celtics would lose all of his value to their organization. 

Hitting the free agent market is the last thing Boston wants to happen in regards to Marcus Smart because not only will he be an unrestricted free agent that can sign anywhere, but they will have no leverage over him in terms of contract negotiations or trade appeal. 

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For years now, there have been a lot of talks about Smart possibly being a trade asset that the Celtics have and could possibly move for another star player, but if they do not re-sign him to a long-term deal, his value definitely goes down for Boston because no team will want to trade for him knowing that he is on the final year of his contract, set to become a free agent. 

Obviously, if the Celtics offer Smart a long-term deal, it will be to keep him as one of their focal points for years to come, but the idea of him being an asset is definitely something to keep in the back of your mind. Marcus Smart is the best option the Celtics have at point guard right now and as a result, they need to keep him long-term.