Did The Celtics Make A Mistake Trading Marcus Smart?
History seems to repeat itself, I guess. This is now the second time the Celtics traded a 29-year-old point guard that they had drafted in the first round out of Oklahoma State to Memphis. The first time was Tony Allen who ended up playing for Memphis longer than he did in Boston. Giving up on Allen was probably a mistake. Ditto when it comes to Marcus Smart.
That’s the thing that these candyass GMs don’t understand about team building. You need one guy in the room who is wired different. Just need one wacko in the group. We’ve seen many iterations of this NBA history. Draymond Green, Dennis Rodman, Bill Laimbeer, etc. The Celtics are trying to hang banner 18 and they just gave that version of our guy away. It’s a mistake every single time you pull the trigger on that type of deal.
What has been the criticism when it comes to this Celtics team? They’re too soft and poorly coached. The Celtics just gave away the heart and soul of that team and are now asking them to be tougher without that guy. It just doesn’t make any sense.
We kinda know now why the Celtics had to rush the Kristaps Porzingis trade. The truth of the matter is Brad Stevens became impatient. The first iteration of the deal with Malcolm Brogdon going to the Clippers was a no-brainer move. It was a home run deal and Boston would have kept Smart. The Clippers just needed more time to complete the physical on Brogdon. It’s hard to stomach that that’s the reason why Boston was okay moving on from Smart. All for a guy in Brogdon that they should have never traded for, to begin with.
I want to make it very clear. Porzingis is a perfect fit for this Celtics team. It just couldn’t come at the loss of Smart. I don’t know how they replace that guy from a leadership perspective. Especially when you’re running it back with Joe Mazzulla who didn’t prove to be head coach material later year. Smart was your head coach last year and was also the team’s best playmaker.
All eyes should be on Brad Stevens. He already probably belongs in jail. Whether it be diving on the floor for a loose ball or providing the team extra possessions by drawing offensive fouls, the Celtics will miss Marcus Smart. It’s a matter of how much Porzingis elevates this team to a point where it no longer matters. That part is very possible but the Celtics lost their margin for error by not giving up Brogdon instead.
