The Boston Celtics trading 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, Marcus Smart, to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of the three-team trade that brought one-time All-Star Kristaps Porzingis to Boston rightly felt like the end of an era.

Smart left this iteration of the Celtics as their longest-tenured player, having been with Boston since they drafted him sixth overall in the 2014 NBA Draft. Nearly a decade, and many cycles of trade rumors later, the playmaker now lands with a Western Conference team that could use his defensive prowess amid Dillon Brooks's free agency.

A competitive squad that has looked NBA Finals-ready at various times over the past couple of seasons, even with face of the franchise Ja Morant now mired in controversy. Another situation that enhances Smart's value to their organization, especially with the Grizzlies re-routing point guard Tyus Jones and his expiring contract to the Washington Wizards.

Nonetheless, while the pieces of the trade make sense, it's still a gut punch to an organization that routinely described Smart as the soul of the team. Especially after finding out that “several people close to Marcus Smart said he was blindsided by last Wednesday’s trade,” according to the Boston Globe insider Adam Himmelsbach.

Of course, the NBA is a business and teams are under no obligation to let a player know that they're on the verge of getting traded. After all, a future Hall of Fame point guard in Chris Paul was traded twice over the past week and neither the Wizards nor Phoenix Suns felt the need to give him a courtesy call, as CP3 found out about both trades from his son.

Still, and especially for players that give their all for an organization, one would expect a little more of a forthcoming approach from front offices.