The Boston Celtics have made the playoffs each of the last seven NBA seasons and they have made the Eaastern Conference Finals three different times in this span, but their playoff streak may be in doubt this season.
Currently 28-25, the Celtics have been a very shaky team during the first half of the 2021-22 season and while both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown could very well be All-Stars again, this roster has been dealing with a ton of inconsistent play.
Through 53 games this season, Boston has not strung together more than three straight wins and while they have beaten some of the top teams in the league in the Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks, they have also found ways to suffer bad losses to the Blazers, Spurs and Clippers on their home court.
Many teams across the league have talent and any team can win on any given night nowadays as a result of said talent, but if the Celtics are to be a real threat, they are going to have to wake up quickly and start being a more consistent team.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Wolves Exploring Beverley, Beasley Trades; Eyeing Celtics’ Smart
Tatum and Brown can only do so much for this roster and with the trade deadline just over two weeks away, Brad Stevens and the Celtics’ front-office are expected to be very active.
Dennis Schroder, Josh Richardson and Al Horford are all on the trade block over the next few weeks and the Celtics have plenty of trade exceptions to barter with in attempts to add more talent to their roster, but Marcus Smart is another intriguing trade asset that they could deal.
Now in his 8th season with Boston and in the league, Smart has established himself as one of the league’s premier defenders, but he has not been a consistent solution for them at the point guard position and is a very streaky offensive talent.
Marcus Smart’s value is fairly high right now and after signing him to a four-year, $77 million extension prior to the start of this season, now could be the best time for the Celtics to move Smart, gain immediate value and free up cap space moving forward.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Wolves Exploring Beverley, Beasley Trades; Eyeing Celtics’ Smart
Several teams around the league have expressed a level of interest in Marcus Smart this season and one of those teams is the Minnesota Timberwolves. According to Darren Wolfson of KSOP, the Timberwolves are “definitely trying to trade for Marcus Smart” ahead of the deadline next week.
Could Boston actually entertain the idea of trading Marcus Smart to Minnesota? They could very well get a deal done if the Timberwolves put together the following package.
