Marcus Smart has spent his entire nine-year NBA career with the Boston Celtics. Entering Year 10, Smart is set to wear a different uniform for the first time, as he was involved in one of this offseason's biggest trades.

The Celtics, along with the Washington Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies, finalized a three-team trade ahead of the start of free agency this summer, as former All-Star big man Kristaps Porzingis was dealt to Boston with Smart shipped out to the Grizzlies.

Selected to the All-Defensive team three different years and named the league's Defensive Player of the Year during the 2021-22 season, Smart is one of the toughest guards in the entire league. He made a very positive difference in Boston through the years and without him, they may not have gone to the NBA Finals in 2022.

Recently in Memphis for a pro-am golf tournament, Celtics star Jayson Tatum discussed his former teammate and why the Grizzlies should be excited about Smart's arrival.

“They’re getting a leader,” Tatum told The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “They’re getting a guy who’s a winner, who’s been to the playoffs every year. We’ve been to the Finals together obviously, so he knows what it takes to get there. Obviously extremely talented, the best defender in the league. He’s just a guy that you love to have on your team.”

While he may not be the most electric scorer like Tatum, Smart makes up for this on the defensive-end of the floor and doing all of the little things to help his team win. He's always diving on the ground for loose balls, he always plays a very physical brand of basketball and he's consistently grown as a passer, averaging a career-high 6.3 assists per game this past year.

Tatum and fellow All-Star Jaylen Brown may have been the best players on Boston's roster through the years, but Smart has always been the heart and soul of the Celtics. Much like Draymond Green for the Golden State Warriors, Smart makes his greatest impact by being a vocal leader for his team. His presence will be hard to replace in Boston.

Now with the Grizzlies, Smart will continue to be a veteran leader and he will be tasked with a significant role early on given that All-Star point guard Ja Morant is set to serve a 25-game suspension to begin the 2023-24 season. Even when Morant returns, though, Smart will be leaned upon and tasked with lifting this younger team to championship status in the Western Conference.