Marcus Smart was reportedly caught off guard when he was traded by the Boston Celtics to the Memphis Grizzlies late Wednesday night.
The trades have been flowing this NBA offseason, perhaps the biggest one being Bradley Beal getting traded to the Phoenix Suns.
But on Wednesday, one night before the 2023 NBA Draft, there was a report that Kristaps Porzingis was getting traded from the Washington Wizards to the Boston Celtics in a three-team trade also including the Los Angeles Clippers. But hours later, the deal fell through. Then around midnight, multiple reports indicated that Porzingis was getting traded to Washington, with guard Marcus Smart being dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies. It was a stunning move, especially for those Celtics fans who went to bed after the original Porzingis trade fell through.
As it turns out, fans weren't the only ones shocked by the trade.
According to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe, Smart was "completely shocked" that the Celtics traded him.
NBA rumors: Marcus Smart caught off guard after Celtics traded him to Grizzlies
"Marcus loves Boston," a source told Himmelsbach. "He thought he was going to retire there. He wanted to retire there."
Smart had been with the Celtics since he was selected sixth overall by the team in the 2014 NBA Draft. Over the years, Smart had showcased his defensive abilities on the team, and received league-wide recognition, as evidenced by three NBA All-Defensive First Team honors (2019, 2020, 2022) and the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award in 2022.
Last year, the Celtics fell short of winning the NBA championship, losing in six games to the Golden State Warriors. This season, the Celtics earned the second seed in the Eastern Conference, getting past the Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics nearly did the impossible, overcoming an 3-0 deficit, but they lost to the Miami Heat in Game 7.
In the regular season, Smart averaged 11.5 points, 6.3 assists, 3.1 assists, and 1.5 steals, while posting a 41.5 field goal percentage and a 33.6 three-point percentage. Smart started in 20 playoff games for Boston this year, averaging 14.9 points, 5.1 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.3 steals, while shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from the three-point line.
Now, Smart will begin his first season as a member of the Grizzlies, who will be without star Ja Morant for the first 25 games due to a suspension. If you Celtics fans were caught off guard by this trade, it appears Smart was as well.
