With the NBA free agency at the two-week mark, there are still a number of notable players left on the market. Among them is Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart.
Both sides have been unable to work out a long-term deal up to this point. According to Jay King of The Athletic, shooting guard Jaylen Brown is adamant about Boston needing to retain Smart this offseason:
“Marcus, what he brings to the table is second-to-none. The analytics, all of that, throw that away. What Marcus adds to a team and a franchise, everybody knows.”
Despite his pleas, Brown still understands the business aspect of the NBA does not always pan out the way the players want it to.
“You can’t really get too emotional about it. It’s a business. A lot of guys get caught up because they get their heart stuck in the mix of it, but at the end of the day it’s business. So I would love to have Marcus on the team.”
Brown's comments should come as no surprise. The Celtics were perhaps the most surprising team in the 2017-18 NBA season. Despite the loss of their two star players in point guard Kyrie Irving and small forward Gordon Hayward, they managed to finish with the second seed in the East en route to a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Needless to say, Smart played an integral role in Boston's success. Despite his lackluster shooting, his versatility and grittiness on the defensive end made him an ideal fit in the Celtics' rotation. Although he may not been as a scoring threat when he is on the floor, it is clear that his efforts did not go unnoticed by the rest of the team.
Fortunately, there is a good chance that Boston fulfills Brown's wishes. Smart is a restricted free agent which means the Celtics will have a chance to match any offer he receives. The only teams that could potentially snatch him away with a monster offer would be the Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks, or Brooklyn Nets.
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