Marcus Smart is not happy with the manner in which his tenure with the Boston Celtics came to an end.
The 2022 NBA Defensive Player of the Year has been traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in the wake of the disappointing Game 7 exit in the Eastern Conference Finals, with the Celtics moving him in a deal that’s seen them land Kristaps Porzingis from the Washington Wizards.
The 29-year-old was informed that he was being dealt last month, ending his nine-year stint in Beantown. And he understandably feels slighted after helping Boston reach the playoffs every season, as well as the NBA Finals in 2022.
Smart claims to have been blindsided by the development as he had been assured by both Celtics GM Brad Stevens and head coach Joe Mazulla that he was not going to be traded.
“I went to the gym next day (after the trade) to get my stuff, talked to Brad and Joe,” he said to CLNS Media. “It was definitely shocking to find out that way, especially because the week before, I was already told we were good, there were no trade talks with me and we were good.
“I understand the business side of it, I’ve always been like that. I’m the first one to tell anyone, you can’t mix personal with business, it just doesn’t mix. I understand it’s a business. For me, it’s just the courtesy. They probably already knew they were thinking about trading me, they had this trade in their back pocket just in case something else didn’t happen.
“And for me, it’s just the simple fact, ‘Hey, we’re thinking about trading you, most likely we’ll trade you, just letting you know, thank you’. Especially with telling me the week before, my house flooding and having to deal with that. It was a whole lot at once.”
The three-time NBA All-Defensive First Team star also expressed love for the Celtics and the city of Boston as he thanked fans for the love and support they showed him over the duration of his stay. But he’s excited to see what he can do in Memphis now.
