Although there was a belief that Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart would test the waters in Free Agency next summer, he ultimately signed a four-year, $77 million extension with the team in August.

However, Smart had it in his mind that he would get around $90 million in 2022. In the end, though, he weighed the pros and cons and came to the decision to take less than desired in order to stay with this Celtics core. Via The Athletic's Jay King:

After discussions with those he trusts, Smart eventually decided the security of a long-term contract outweighed the possibility of chasing what he believes he’s worth. Smart said he considers himself “blessed” to have signed such a hefty contract, which will run through the 2025-26 season, but still thinks several lesser players cashed bigger checks.

“For me, it was, I’ve gotta get paid,” Smart said. “I’ve gotta get mine. Everybody else in my position that I’ve dominated are getting theirs. And it’s like, I know I do way more than these guys. I’m on a better team with the Celticsas well. So it’s like, what’s going on? I was actually willing to go straight into free agency and go to the market. But just talking to my circle, my family, my people and just understanding the pros versus the cons, the good versus the bad and things like that. What are you willing to sacrifice? What are you willing to gain? So it was a business decision.”

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The Celtics are set to be at full strength again this season with Jaylen Brown back and healthy, while they also added the likes of Josh Richardson and Dennis Schroder in Free Agency. Smart meanwhile is a massive piece of the puzzle on both ends of the floor for Boston and even led the team in assists in 2020-21 with 5.7 per game.

While there was some rumored animosity between the Celtics and Smart last season, it appears all is resolved because he is locked up until 2026. Taking $13 million less than he wanted might seem like a lot, but if it results in a championship, then who really cares.