Marcus Smart to the Nets not a smart move - for Marcus or Celtics


First there were reports that the Sacramento Kings were preparing an offer to Marcus Smart, and now it appears the Brooklyn Nets have entered the game.

The Celtics have made Smart a qualifying offer of roughly 6 million, and Marcus may be looking for something in the area of 15 million. That is quite a divide, but he will most likely end up with a deal between the two extremes.

As stated in Justin Quinn's article on the King's involvement, Sacramento has been proven to be a bit dysfunctional and would hardly seem the team of choice for Smart, who despite being a valued piece for any team, has shown some signs of instability on the court and off. And Brooklyn has a number of talented players at the one, two and three spots, so there is no guarantee that he would end up in the starting unit.

Plus it is doubtful if the Nets will be going deep into the playoffs anytime soon, and the team at this point certainly doesn't have the long-term potential or the stability offered by Smart's current team, the Celtics.



Marcus Smart would probably find a fit with several teams, but the Celtics seem right for him. They have the consistent offensive threats in Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, Al Horford and Jayson Tatum, to counter Smart's lack of offensive stability, and we can never forget that Jaylen Brown has become a legitimate two-way threat. Here is the Boston Herald's Mark Murphy on the subject:

And right now, with the Celtics still resting on their $6.05 million qualifying offer, Smart and Walters are attempting to drum up offers in a market devoid of teams with salary-cap space.

Smart’s defense-centric skill set and uniqueness are far better suited to playoff teams than lower-rung types in need of scoring and shooting, and has not found that market.

So despite all the fanfare, we still await solid proof of an official offer from another NBA team. To this date, there have been none that we are aware of. Signing Smart to a contact above the qualifying offer could put Boston into luxury tax territory, with more of a chance to be paying the additional repeater tax down the road. Don't think that has not entered Danny Ainge's mind as he looks at his projected rosters for the next several seasons.

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Photo via Matt Stone/Boston Herald