{"id":82927,"date":"2024-06-25T12:51:45","date_gmt":"2024-06-25T16:51:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=82927"},"modified":"2024-06-25T12:53:45","modified_gmt":"2024-06-25T16:53:45","slug":"former-boston-celtics-fan-favorite-talks-about-2024-championship-marcus-smart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/06\/25\/former-boston-celtics-fan-favorite-talks-about-2024-championship-marcus-smart\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Celtics Fan Favorite Talks About 2024 Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>After getting drafted by the team in 2014, guard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/smartma01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-25_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Marcus Smart<\/a> spent the first nine years of his career with the Boston Celtics. During his Celtics tenure, he played with names like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/rondora01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-25_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rajon Rondo<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/thomais02.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-25_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Isaiah Thomas<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/brownja02.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-25_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jaylen Brown<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/tatumja01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-25_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jayson Tatum<\/a>. He helped usher in a new era of Celtics basketball after the infamous 2013 trade that sent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/garneke01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-25_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kevin Garnett<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/piercpa01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-25_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Paul Pierce<\/a> to the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2023\/11\/06\/boston-celtics-trade-review-11-that-brooklyn-nets-2013-trade-paul-pierce-kevin-garnett\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Brooklyn Nets<\/a>. With the Celtics, he won the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2022\/04\/21\/is-marcus-smarts-dpoy-a-new-regular\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Defensive Player of the Year Award<\/a> in 2022 and played in five Eastern Conference Finals series and one NBA Finals series. However, last summer, the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2023\/06\/22\/the-celtics-trade-marcus-smart-why-it-was-the-right-move\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Celtics traded Smart<\/a> to the Memphis Grizzlies. In Boston&#8217;s first season without Smart since 2013-14, they won their first <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/06\/18\/the-boston-celtics-win-the-2024-nba-finals-champions\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">NBA championship<\/a> since 2008.<\/p>\n<p>In a recent interview for Tidal League, Smart admitted Boston&#8217;s championship victory was &#8220;bittersweet.&#8221; However, he also said he was &#8220;proud&#8221; of his former teammates.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\u201cShout out to Jaylen (Brown), Jayson (Tatum) and the Boston Celtics on the championship\u2026I\u2019m proud of them\u2026I know everyone is expecting me to be salty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus Smart talks about the Celtics\u2019 Championship \ud83d\udc40 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qjLYZrbNFs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/qjLYZrbNFs<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Tidal League (@TidalLeague) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TidalLeague\/status\/1805617585033027833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 25, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Former Celtics Fan Favorite Talks About 2024 Championship<\/h2>\n<h3>The Boston Celtics Were Going to Trade Marcus Smart No Matter What<\/h3>\n<p>Last offseason, the Celtics were initially going to trade <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/brogdma01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-25_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Malcolm Brogdon<\/a> to the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2023\/06\/21\/celtics-in-talks-on-a-blockbuster-trade-for-kristaps-porzingis\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Los Angeles Clippers<\/a> in a three-team trade for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/porzikr01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-25_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kristaps Porzingis<\/a>. However, after the trade fell through, Boston shifted gears and sent Smart to the Grizzlies. Many assumed trading Smart was just a backup plan. However, The Ringer&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/06\/24\/boston-celtics-nearly-acquired-former-first-rounder-last-summer-tyus-jones\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Kevin O&#8217;Connor<\/a> recently revealed that the Celtics planned on trading Smart even if the initial trade went through.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cAt the time, many Celtics fans were crushed. Smart was a lifelong Celtic and a fan favorite. It hurt that the team dealt him instead of Brogdon, especially for a player as injury prone as Porzingis. But there\u2019s a detail missing from that initial saga: Sources from around the league say that once that KP for Brogdon deal was complete, Smart still would have been sent to the Grizzlies for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jonesty01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-25_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tyus Jones<\/a> and two firsts.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3>Could Marcus Smart Be On the Move Again?<\/h3>\n<p>In his first season with the Grizzlies, Smart appeared in just 20 games due to injuries. On the year, he averaged 14.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. The Grizzlies ended the season with a 27-55 record, third-worst in the Western Conference.<\/p>\n<p>Recently, Smart&#8217;s name has popped up in NBA trade rumors ahead of the 2024 Draft. According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/06\/20\/nba-rumors-rockets-sight-jalen-green-replacement\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Houston Rockets<\/a> are interested in acquiring the three-time All-Defensive Team selection.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cBoth general manager Rafael Stone and head coach <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/u\/udokaim01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-25_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ime Udoka<\/a> are fans of (Memphis Grizzlies) veteran guard Marcus Smart,\u201d per The Athletic\u2019s Kelly Iko.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>A trade to Houston would reunite Smart with Udoka, who was his head coach during Boston&#8217;s 2022 Finals run. However, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/with-bulls-roster-shakeup-underway-is-zach-lavine-the-next-piece-on-the-move-150136313.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jake Fischer<\/a> of Yahoo Sports, Memphis has &#8220;no interest&#8221; in trading Smart this offseason.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;The Grizzlies have a recurring recent history of moving up in drafts. Memphis, however, is also believed to be open to moving back, depending on how the board ultimately unfolds on draft night, according to league sources. The Grizzlies, sources said, have no interest in parting with Marcus Smart.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After getting drafted by the team in 2014, guard Marcus Smart spent the first nine years of his career with the Boston Celtics. During his Celtics tenure, he played with names like Rajon Rondo, Isaiah Thomas, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum. He helped usher in a new era of Celtics basketball after the infamous 2013 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4631,"featured_media":82932,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,5,2,32,62,3],"tags":[3821,171,450,798,338,138,609,428,361,209,569],"class_list":["post-82927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-celtics","category-featured","category-grizzlies","category-nba","category-news","tag-ime-udoka","tag-isaiah-thomas","tag-jaylen-brown","tag-jayson-tatum","tag-kevin-garnett","tag-kristaps-porzingis","tag-malcolm-brogdon","tag-marcus-smart","tag-paul-pierce","tag-rajon-rondo","tag-tyus-jones"],"modified_by":"Elie Deglaoui","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4631"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82927"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82927\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}