Wednesday evening, former All-Star forward Kristaps Porzingis was dealt to the Boston Celtics in a three-team deal that involved the Washington Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies. Though the acquisition of the tantalizing big man certainly helps bolster the C's lacking frontcourt depth, such a transaction wound up costing them their beloved veteran guard Marcus Smart in the process.

Argued to have been the club's heart and soul for the better part of his nine-year tenure, the seasoned defensive stalwart now heads to Tennessee, leaving quite a sizeable hole in Joe Mazzulla's rotation in need of filling.

Today, we discuss three potential replacement options for Marcus Smart the Celtics should consider this summer.

Marcus Smart replacement No. 3) Dillon Brooks

Not only does Marcus Smart's departure open up a vacancy at the starting point guard position, but it also leaves a considerable void in the defensive intensity department. Though the Celtics as a whole ranked second in the league in team defense (110.6 defensive rating) this past year, their overall intensity on the less glamorous side of the floor was sparked by the 29-year-old.

Though Smart will no longer be with the club, perhaps this attribute could be replaced for a rather affordable price with a potential signing of free-agent wing, Dillon Brooks.

Throughout his six-year career in the association, the 27-year-old has built a reputation as being a polarizing force and pesky presence on the defensive end of the floor and is coming off a campaign where he was selected to his first All-Defensive selection.

Adding him to the Celtics could prove to be a simple yet effective way of attempting to recreate the intensity level that Marcus Smart provided on the defensive end on a nightly basis and his controversial exit from the Memphis Grizzlies could bode well in Boston's favor from a financial perspective, as it likely will have an impact on his offseason asking price.

Marcus Smart replacement No. 2) Malcolm Brogdon

Dillon Brooks may be an option to help keep Boston's defensive intensity thriving with Marcus Smart now in Memphis, but he does not answer their need for a new starting point guard.

Perhaps the simplest solution to this issue would be to look toward options they already have on the roster, and Malcolm Brogdon may be the best player for the Celtics to turn to as their new starting one.

Though he is coming off a season where he was crowned the 2023 Sixth Man of the Year, for the vast majority of his NBA tenure the 30-year-old has served as a team's starting point guard, and a franchise cornerstone-caliber one at that.

During the four years leading up to his arrival in Boston, Brogdon served as a highly-touted starting floor general and saw himself posting impressive per-game averages of 17.9 points, 5.4 assists, and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 46.1% from the field and 36.9% from deep in such a role.

The season prior to his trade to the Celtics, the veteran saw himself sporting sensational averages of 19.1 points, 5.9 assists, 5.1 rebounds, and just shy of a steal per game.

When healthy, there's a rather sound argument to be made that Brogdon is actually a better option to serve as the starting point guard for this Celtics team than Marcus Smart ever was. The only issue is, staying healthy has always proven to be a struggle for him.

However, should they wish to promote from within, even with the risks that come with his services, Malcolm Brogdon provides the C's with the highest upside.

Marcus Smart replacement No. 1) Chris Paul

Should the Celtics look to find a replacement for Marcus Smart from outside of their current talent pool, there may be no better option from a fit perspective than veteran guard, Chris Paul.

Already viewed as a top landing spot for his services this summer, with their recent trade, the concept of his addition to the rotation makes more sense than ever.

With top-flight scoring talents such as Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and, now, Kristaps Porzingis in the fold, arguably the one thing missing on this team is a top-flight set-up artist who can help create easy looks for those around him. Among his many Hall of Fame traits, being a legendary set-up artist may be at the top of Chris Paul's list.

For his career, he finds himself sporting averages of 9.5 assists per game compared to just 2.4 turnovers and has led the league in dimes on five separate occasions.

Even this past season, despite being deemed a “down year,” Paul still went on to dish out 8.9 assists per game while coughing up just 1.9 turnovers.

On top of all this, he's still a rather efficient scoring threat despite shying away from looking for his own shot (11.3 attempts per night over the last two seasons), as he averaged 13.9 points on 37.5% shooting from deep this past year.

Adding a steady presence like Chris Paul to the lead point guard slot could prove to be a godsend for the Boston Celtics in 2023-24. Be it via the free agency market should the Wizards opt to buy him out or by means of trade, Brad Stevens and company should be highly interested in adding the veteran to their rotation this summer.