“The NBA is a ruthless business” - Boston Celtics fans stunned as team trades Marcus Smart hours after praising him

The Boston Celtics are all-in for an NBA championship that they had to trade their heart and soul, Marcus Smart, to improve the roster. Smart will go to Memphis while Grizzlies guard Tyus Jones will moves to Washington.

Boston’s decision to trade Smart stunned Celtic Nation as the team was just praising him hours before. Several fans promptly reacted to the breaking news:

“The NBA is a ruthless business….”

The Boston Celtics were previously in a three-team trade talk involving the Washington Wizards and LA Clippers. In that scenario, Boston’s Sixth Man of the Year winner Malcolm Brogdon would have gone to the Clippers. LA were to send Marcus Morris, Amir Coffey and the 30th pick to the Washington Wizards.

Washington had to convince Kristaps Porzingis to opt into the final year of his contract ($36 million) before it could send him to Boston. The Celtics also had to include Danilo Gallinari for the deal to work.

Once the deal collapsed, the Celtics and the Wizards kept working with the Memphis Grizzlies as the new team on the block. Ja Morant’s 25-game suspension meant that they are in dire need of a veteran point guard. They seemingly didn’t want it to be Brogdon.

Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens finally decided to break the core of Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart. He had to send the former Defensive Player of the Year winner to get Kristaps Porzingis and two first-round picks (2023 and 2024).

The Grizzlies get a proven leader with extensive playoff experience. Smart has been to five conference finals and reached the 2022 NBA Finals. The feisty guard has won the league’s Hustle Award in back-to-back seasons and the third in his career.

Marcus Smart will be the steadying hand to guide the Memphis Grizzlies until Ja Morant returns from suspension. Adrian Wojnarowski had this to say about the Boston Celtics’ decision to trade Marcus Smart:

“Absolutely [tough decision]! That’s why earlier they were ready to move off Malcolm Brogdon. Smart has been such an intrinsic part of that Celtic identity. … He has done nothing but get better and better.

“This was a hard decision for the Celtics. … The Celtics are trying to win a championship, multiple championships. Bringing in Porzingis was important to them but they didn’t get it without giving up a player who has meant a great deal to that organization.”

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Jayson Tatum loved playing with Marcus Smart

Without Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum would also have to adjust in a big way. Smart has been his teammate since “JT” entered the NBA in 2017. They have been to five conference finals and the 2022 NBA Finals.

Here’s what Tatum had to say about playing with Smart:

“Smart is, like, my favorite person to play with. Super high-IQ basketball player, great passer. There’s a lot of things that we don’t have to say that we’ve done so many times.”

The Celtics have to give up a core of their franchise to hopefully win the NBA title. Meanwhile, the Memphis Grizzlies have just acquired a great leader, superb point guard and high-character player.

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