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Ever since he was drafted by the Boston Celtics, Marcus Smart has been one of the NBA's most energetic and irritating players to face on the defensive end. The two-time All-Defensive Team member is not fun to play against.
But sometimes, he hasn't been fun to play with. His wild decision-making on offense and vocal leadership don't always resonate well with the Celtics. They're the reasons why, despite his immense and obvious value to the team, he is always in trade rumors. According to Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer, Smart could be obtained via trade, though the Celtics won't give him up easily.
It's a few weeks before the deadline, so it seems only fitting that Marcus Smart's name has once again percolated in trade talk. But it will take significant value in return, sources said, for Boston to ever part with Smart. There's still a sense around the league that a healthy Celtics unit could fare far better down the stretch of this regular season than Boston's early growing pains under head coach Ime Udoka have so far produced.
Just because Smart comes at a high price doesn't mean teams with desperate needs on defense shouldn't take a chance on him. There are several teams that are deprived of defense that could use the 27-year-old guard.
3 teams that must risk it all in trade for Celtics guard Marcus Smart
Atlanta Hawks
Trae Young is one of the most creative and dynamic players on offense throughout the league. The exact opposite is true on defense, which is why pairing him with Smart could be a match made in heaven.
The Celtics and Hawks previously discussed a deal centered around Smart. Boston would have received Cam Reddish and Kevin Huerter. Reddish was eventually moved to the New York Knicks but the Hawks shouldn't give up. Atlanta should still have shooting options to cover up for Smart's shooting deficiency after trading for him.
The Celtics' need for scoring is what they should look for in return for Smart. The Hawks could swap him for John Collins or try to build another package featuring Huerter.
With LaMelo Ball leading the show, Terry Rozier flanking him with shooting and scoring and James Bouknight looking like he can be a real contributor soon, the Hornets could use a stout defender to balance that out.
Smart could be used as a defensive anchor alongside Ball while also taking some playmaking duties of his hands when he rests. Charlotte has struggled to find a surefire point guard option behind their young star. Smart could be their backup point guard for long stretches.
In return for Smart, the Hornets could build a package centered around Kelly Oubre Jr. Charlotte could dangle P.J. Washington, too. Trading Rozier, a former Celtics, back to Boston may also be worth it. At the end of the day, sacrificing some offense for Smart's defense is worth it.
The Trail Blazers need two things right now: a roster mixup and defense. Smart could provide both and net the Celtics an offensive upgrade like CJ McCollum.
Portland has shown that they still want to compete with Damian Lillard but have never made a trade big enough to truly compete. McCollum has always been his go-to second option but the Blazers still have guys like Anfernee Simons and Norman Powell that can provide scoring alongside Lillard. Smart provides a different aspect of the game that is desperately needed.
McCollum's shooting would pair nicely with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. The Celtics would need to include more than just Smart in order to match salaries but it could be worth it to mix it up and get more scoring in their lineup.
