Getty Marcus Smart formerly of the Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics fans were initially not too happy to find out that Marcus Smart had been traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in the deal that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Boston. In his introductory press conference with the Grizzlies, Smart acknowledged the strong fan reaction following his trade away from the Celtics.
“The fan reaction in the city of Boston was exactly what I expect it to be and what anybody who’s played in Boston would expect it to be. It’s all love. They ride for this city hard, man,” Smart said, per NBC Sports Boston. “That’s how it should be. You’re supposed to ride for your city like that, so it’s all love. I wasn’t surprised by that.”
“It’s all love… they ride for their city hard.”
Marcus Smart talks Celtics’ fan reaction to trade, and what he hopes to do with @YGC_Foundation in Memphis
Smart was the longest-tenured Celtic, having started his NBA career with the team in 2014, and had left an impression on the fans because of his tenacious defense setting the tone when he took the floor above other things. In Smart’s tenure, the Celtics progressed from a playoff team to an NBA finalist over the course of the nine years that he played for them.
Celtics Traded Marcus Smart to Increase Stars’ Roles
Among the various factors for why the Celtics traded Smart to the Grizzlies, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe reported on July 6 that one reason why the Celtics pulled off that trade was that they felt Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown gave Smart the ball too often when the going got tough.
“There was a sense within the organization that stars Jayson Tatum and Brown sometimes deferred to Smart in big moments and that his departure now leaves no question about who should be guiding this team. Tatum and Brown will be pushed even further into the spotlight, and the Celtics believe they’re ready for any new responsibilities,” Himmelsbach wrote.
The Celtics have not added another ballhandler since trading away Smart, so odds are their guard rotation will be Derrick White, Malcolm Brogdon, and Payton Pritchard coming into the season. However, it also means Tatum and Brown may be able to spread their wings a little more now that Smart’s not there to take the pressure off them.
Danilo Gallinari Did Not Expect to be Traded
While talking with Garrett Cote of MassLive. Gallinari gave his first thoughts on the Celtics trading him to the Washington Wizards.
“I had a meeting with the team probably three, four days before the trade, and the meeting was a little different – the reason why I didn’t expect the trade,” Gallinari told Cote. “I’ve been through it before many times. It’s just the craziness about the NBA sometimes. It was pretty quick and unexpected.”
What was particularly hard for Gallinari was that he got hurt just before the season started, ruining his chance to help a team win a title.
“You have the chance to sign for a team like the Celtics that are fighting for a championship, and it’s the first or second time in my career where I have the chance to be on a team that is fighting for a championship. But then the injury came. It was tough.”
The Wizards have indicated that they’re starting a rebuild by trading Porzingis and Bradley Beal, which calls Gallinari’s role into question, but there has been no indication that they will get rid of Gallinari.