Boston just locked up Marcus Smart for the long haul. The longtime Celtics guard signed a four-year extension that keeps him on the team until 2026.

But throughout the past season, it felt as though the writing was on the wall for Smart's tenure in Boston. Just earlier this month, Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix reported on new president Brad Stevens allegedly souring on the guard after the handful of seasons he spent coaching him on the sidelines.

Boston’s acquisition of Josh Richardson could spell the end of Marcus Smart’s run in town. Smart has become a fan favorite over seven years with the Celtics, but Brad Stevens has been frustrated by Smart’s unpredictable play in recent years, per sources. Smart, one of the NBA’s better perimeter defenders, is entering the final year of his contract. Boston could extend Smart, but two people familiar with Stevens thinking tell SI it’s more likely Stevens will look to trade Smart before the start of the season.

If that was the case, just why exactly did the front office walk back? Perhaps the trade market had just become that icy for Marcus Smart that keeping him as a marginal asset was the wiser move. It's also possible that his superstar teammates in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown silently vouched for him to be a part of their long-term future. The straight answer may never be uncovered.

However, one thing's for sure – this wasn't the right move for the Boston Celtics. Marcus Smart is indeed the kind of player that you just love to root for. He goes all out at all times, and makes winning plays like diving for a loose ball or forcing a key deflection during crunch time.

But his catch-all value on the court has often limited the Celtics offensively, especially with two legitimate scoring threats alongside him in Tatum and Brown. One huge blackhole in his game has been his shooting.

The problem doesn't just lie in the fact that Marcus Smart isn't a deadeye shooter. It's that he clearly thinks that he is. There were 48 players in the NBA who took as many threes as Smart's 5.9 attempts per game last season while playing at least 45 total games.

Smart's ugly 33% rate was second to last, behind just a rookie in Anthony Edwards who was literally one shot worse at 32.9%. And even that was misleading as Edwards overcame his freshman jitters to shoot 34.9% post All-Star break.

Marcus Smart was quite literally the worst volume shooter from distance in the entire NBA last season. That's not exactly the best trait for your lead guard that's supposed to be maximizing your superstars in the making.

It was not just a bad season for Smart either. He's a career 37.6% shooter from the field through seven seasons and has only had one season above 40%. He's also never been bashful with his three-point shot, taking at least four per game every season of his career despite being a putrid 32% shooter from deep.

Yes, he also does a bit of playmaking for the Celtics, but a less ball-dominant guard with a better outside shot would be a much better fit going forward. Jayson Tatum needs the ball in his hands when it matters most, and the Celtics must flank him with worthy floor-spacers rather than a guy like Smart.

Celtics fans are fully aware that Marcus Smart's impact has always been on the defensive end. His energy and effort on that side of the floor is unquestioned and his versatility when it comes to locking up opposing stars one through five has always been admirable. But the team just feels like it needs a proverbial reset after a down year.

After seven season and several failed playoff runs, it was high time for the Celtics to mix things up. Moving on from Marcus Smart would've definitely had its pitfalls and any return via trade might not be to the Celtics' liking. But moving the beloved fan favorite was just the logical move to make this offseason.

Instead, they've doubled down on him for four more years at nearly $20 million in annual salary. Marcus Smart could very well turn things around now that he's gotten paid, but color me skeptical that it happens.