Restricted free agent Marcus Smart and his agent, Happy Walters, will meet with Celtics officials in Boston today in hopes of ironing out the final kinks of a long-term deal, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.
The two sides were reportedly working on a four-year deal that would pay him from $46-to-52 million, in a medium according to reports by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Jordan Schultz of Yahoo Sports.
Smart has been coveted by teams around the league, but none has come forward with a formal offer, given the high tab he's expected to command and the potential bidding war to ensue if the Celtics choose to match.
Boston has been rather patient, now 19 days into the offseason, awaiting any team to step up with an offer and just now making a move to lock him up long-term.
Smart said before the end of the postseason that he saw himself being worth more than the higher end of his valuation in the free agent market ($16 million annually) — which has deterred teams from pitching an offer below the $12-16 million per year range he expected to command for his services this summer.
Due to the silence throughout this summer, the Celtics could get him for $13 million per year if they strike a deal worth $52 million — given Smart's preference has been to remain in Boston all along.
Follow Us
Subscribe