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Marcus Smart Traded to Grizzlies in 3-team Deal; Porziņģis to Celtics
Kristaps Porziņģis appears to be getting his trade to the Boston Celtics after all.
After a day of uncertainty, the Celtics, Washington Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies have come to terms on a three-team deal that will also send Marcus Smart to the Grizzlies:
Porziņģis was originally thought to be headed to Boston as part of a three-way deal that would have sent Malcolm Brogdon to the Los Angeles Clippers, but that trade fell through:
Porziņģis, 27, averaged 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 49.8 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from three in the 2022-23 season. He’ll give the Celtics a solid option at both the 4 or 5, and one who can both stretch the floor and protect the rim.
It’s the latest splashy move in the NBA this offseason, with many more potentially to follow, though the Celtics cutting bait on Smart is a pretty shocking decision.
It comes after the franchise once again fell short of its goal of winning an NBA title, losing to the Miami Heat in seven games in the Eastern Conference finals.
Claiming an East title and advancing to the 2022 NBA Finals seemed to affirm how the Celtics didn’t need to do anything drastic in pursuit of a championship. They were two wins away from taking down the Golden State Warriors.
Then the 2023 postseason happened.
Boston nearly handed the Philadelphia 76ers their conference semifinals series before blitzing the Sixers in Game 7. Midway through the conference finals, it was impossible to ignore the contrast between the Heat and Jimmy Butler rising to the occasion while the Celtics and star forward Jayson Tatum were, well, not doing that.
This story has played out now under three head coaches (Brad Stevens, Ime Udoka and Joe Mazzulla). It became clear Boston’s veteran core could deliver in the regular season but had a firm ceiling once the playoffs rolled around.
The Toronto Raptors reached a similar point when they continually fell short against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers every year. They traded DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard and immediately became a championship winner.
In the event the Celtics didn’t want to do something that drastic—i.e. trading Tatum or Jaylen Brown—Smart was the most obvious candidate to go.
The 6’3″ guard averaged 11.5 points and 6.3 assists in 2022-23, and he shot better than 40 percent (41.5) for the third time in his NBA career. His .511 effective field-goal percentage was his second-best ever, per Basketball Reference.
Despite his limitations as a shooter and scorer, Smart figured to have a strong trade market once Boston was willing to seriously entertain offers. He’s a three-time first-team All-Defensive honoree and earned Defensive Player of the Year for 2021-22. The 29-year-old is willing to be a leader behind the scenes and hold his teammates accountable as well.
Smart is the kind of tone-setter who can be invaluable for a contending franchise. He’s basically an even more optimized version of Patrick Beverley, who has raised the floor for his team on multiple occasions in the past.
It will be fascinating to see whether Smart’s departure actually has a far larger significance for Boston than you’d expect based on his raw numbers. But he’ll be an excellent addition to a Grizzlies team with plenty of young talent, adding leadership and defensive intensity to a cocky young contender.
