Real Reason Celtics Traded Marcus Smart For Kristaps Porzingis

 

 

The Boston Celtics traded away Marcus Smart this past offseason in a trade that netted them Kristaps Porzingis from the Washington Wizards.

It was a surprising move on all counts, particularly given that Smart and the Celtics were coming off an Eastern Conference Finals appearance.

Obviously Smart has had some tiffs with his star teammates in the past, but he was also widely regarded as the defensive muscle and mentally toughest player on a

team that desperately needs more of both.

Smart subsequently accused the organization of lying to him.

This week, clarity emerged on why Boston ultimately decided to swap out Smart for Porzingis.

“The general tone was, how do we take this energy we’re feeling right now that was built up over having two good seasons but then didn’t get all the way,” team

owner Wyc Grousbeck told the Boston Herald.

“If we’d all agreed we should keep things the same, that would have been fine. But the idea of bringing in another talented big popped up early in the conversation,

and we ended up executing on that idea.”

The ‘talented big’ in question proved to be Porzingis. Last season the team was briefly linked to Jakob Poeltl, but he ultimately wound up getting sent to the Toronto

Raptors at the NBA Trade Deadline.

So clearly there has been an appetite to add a presence in the middle for a while; it was just a matter of the perfect opportunity coming along.

Last season Porzingis averaged 23.2 points per game on nearly 50 percent shooting from the field and 39 percent from three for the Wizards.

The hope is that he will be able to bring some of that to Boston.

Will the Celtics’ decision to bet on Porzingis over Smart pay dividends come next season? Time will tell.

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Celtics Owner Adds Context To Kristaps Porzingis-Marcus Smart Trade

The Celtics are right there.

They finished two wins shy of an NBA title in 2022. They advanced to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals in 2023.

Yet, it was clear to Boston’s brass that something needed to change before next season. The C’s couldn’t just run it back and hope for the best.

So, the Celtics traded Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzles as part of a three-team blockbuster that also involved the Washington Wizards. Boston acquired

Kristaps Porzingis, a 7-foot-3 center who will give the Green extra scoring oomph.

“The general tone was, how do we take this energy we’re feeling right now that was built up over having two good seasons but then didn’t get all the way,” Celtics co-

owner Wyc Grousbeck told The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach of the conversations he had with president of basketball operations Brad Stevens and head

coach Joe Mazzulla after falling one win short of the 2023 NBA Finals. “The whole point is, how do we get to Banner 18? If we’d all agreed we should keep things the

same, that would have been fine. But the idea of bringing in another talented big popped up early in the conversation, and we ended up executing on that idea.”

Obviously, trading Smart wasn’t an easy decision. He was the longest-tenured Celtics player at the time of the deal, with strong ties to the organization, the city and

the fans. Smart truly earned Boston’s respect throughout his nine years with the team.

“He’s so ready to shine at this stage of his career. But he sees a team concept, not the KP show.”

Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck on Kristaps Porzingis

But the Celtics’ inability to get over the hump — particularly the last two seasons when they had loaded rosters — caused Boston to shuffle its deck around Jayson

Tatum and Jaylen Brown. And Porzingis is a fascinating fit, both on and off the floor.

“(Porzingis) is a committed and now seasoned and effective player. He’s a real force. I’m really impressed with his commitment to being part of a winning Celtics

team,” Grousbeck recently told Himmelsbach. “I met with him when he came up for the press conference and spent some real time with him, and he’s so happy to be

here. He’s so ready to shine at this stage of his career. But he sees a team concept, not the KP show. He’s continually improved over his career, and he thinks this is

his prime.

“But he’s about the team, his teammates, and the banner. He chose us. There were other people, I hear, that wanted him. And he chose us. He wants to be here and

he wants to win a ring.”

Time will tell whether the Celtics made the correct decision. Porzingis isn’t a perfect player. And trading Smart could disrupt Boston’s versatility and intensity on the

defensive end.

But again, something needed to change. The Celtics are right there. Which just isn’t good enough for a storied franchise with championship aspirations.