Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens would love to have stocky guard Marcus Smart back in Beantown.

If it were up to Stevens, Smart would be wearing Celtics green again next season, per Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald.

But that actually happening is not entirely in Stevens' hands.

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Smart is set to become a restricted free agent in the summer. He’s likely going to command a much bigger price tag after earning just $4.5 million during the 2017-18 campaign, putting the Celtics in a quandary on whether to keep him by matching any offer the former Oklahoma State Cowboy will receive from other teams or let him walk away. As of the moment, the Celtics are over the salary cap by $6 million.

Smart played a key role for the Boston over the past few seasons. In 2017-18, he averaged 10.2 points, 4.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in 54 games (11 starts). While Smart’s shot remains a piece of work – a career 36.7 percent shooter from the field and 30.1 percent from distance – his presence on the court gives Boston a tremendous boost on defense. According to 82games.com, opponents score 4.3 points per 48 minutes when Smart is on the floor.

With his ability to slow down opposing high-scoring guards, Smart has become the type of player every team in the league should have in their back pocket. Brad Stevens definitely wants it to still be Smart for the Celtics.