Reports surfaced last week that Kyrie Irving and Al Horford are expected to leave the Boston Celtics this summer. Upon hearing those reports, Celtics guard Marcus Smart admits he was surprised.

Irving is widely expected to sign with the Brooklyn Nets, while Horford is supposedly looking to sign a four-year deal worth in excess of $112 million with an unknown team once free agency starts on June 30.

Smart says he'll always have love for Irving and Horford if they decide to leave the Celtics. The rugged defender also admitted he would look forward to re-setting the culture in Boston if the two All-Stars are gone.

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It's amazing how much can change in just one NBA season. Before the 2018-19 campaign started, the Celtics were the preseason favorite to win the Eastern Conference. Irving also told Celtics fans at an event at the TD Garden he was planning to re-sign with Boston in the offseason.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly for the Celtics, but then actual basketball games started and the team was an utter mess. Yes, Boston won 49 games and advanced to the second round of the 2019 playoffs, where they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in five games. However, the team was dysfunctional behind the scenes and Irving showed he's not ready to be a leader of a championship-level squad.

Smart signed a four-year, $52 million contract with the Celtics last summer. If Horford and Irving leave, Smart could be the new leader in Boston.