Marcus Smart had been one of the faces of the Boston Celtics franchise due to his longevity with the team. Originally drafted sixth overall by the C's in 2014, Smart helped guide the team to the 2022 NBA Finals and became just the second player in team history to win the Defensive Player of the Year award during the 2021-22 season. The heart and soul of Boston, it was a shock to many for Smart to be traded to the Memphis Grizzlies this offseason.

Perhaps the one person who was the most shocked to see this trade happen was Smart himself.

The Celtics were aggressive in their pursuit of former All-Star big man Kristaps Porzingis this offseason. After Boston thought they had agreed to a three-team deal to acquire Porzingis at the expense of Malcolm Brogdon and others, this trade ultimately fell apart due to concerns regarding Brogdon's elbow injury. As a result, the Celtics quickly pivoted to their last option of trading Smart.

Even though he heard his name come up in some trade rumors throughout the offseason, Smart never believed that he would actually be dealt. Not even hearing it from the team first, the Celtics guard found out that his time in Boston was over from a simple tweet.

“If I’m being quite frank, I knew I would be traded eventually,” Smart told The Athletic's Jared Weiss. “Just figured it would be the next season, just based off my contract and with the new CBA. We already knew that. But it was just the way it happened. I was told everything was good after asking multiple times. Like, ‘I’m hearing (rumors), what’s going on?' And they’re like, ‘No, you’re good, you’re good, you’re good.'

“And then when I do hear about the trade, it’s from Shams (Charania) on Twitter before I hear from the team.”

There have been multiple instances through the years where players have found out about major trades they are involved in through Twitter before the team even reaches out to them. Smart was just the latest talent to have to deal with this and it appears as if he is still a little bitter towards the Celtics for not communicating with him.

As far as the 2023-24 season goes, Marcus Smart now embarks on a new journey with the Grizzlies as he begins Year 10 in the NBA. Memphis has been one of the better teams in the league over the course of the last few seasons and defense has always been their calling card. Smart should fit in right away as a defensive leader for this team, especially since he will be the team's opening night point guard with Ja Morant serving a 25-game suspension.

“You always want to be where you’re wanted, and another team’s trash is another team’s gold. So I’m glad to be here,” Smart stated via The Athletic. “I’m glad to be on an organization that wants me and sees me (have) great value. So I’m ecstatic and I’m ready to get going.”