The Celtics Trade Marcus Smart: A Farewell from the Point Guard

The Celtics dumped Marcus Smart in a three-way trade that sent the point guard to the Memphis Grizzlies after spending the first nine years of his NBA career with the Boston franchise.

Sources close to Smart revealed how he felt when he found out about the exchange and now the point guard issued a farewell message through his socio-digital networks.

“Where to start? I start to think about the last nine years and feel a lot of emotions. I came to Boston as a naive kid from Dallas not knowing what to expect. All I knew was the work ethic my mom taught me and that I would work hard to make sure I earned the respect of all Boston fans, which was tough,” Smart wrote.

A graduate of Oklahoma State and born in Flower Mound, Texas, Smart came to the Celtics as the first-round pick in the 2014 Draft, the sixth overall, and has since played in 581 games with the Greens.

“Boston, you are a very special place to me. I grew up here and met some of my best friends, I will never forget my time here. Unfortunately we could not get the 18th championship, but I am very proud of the success we had”, continued the point guard of years.

The Celtics reached the playoffs in Smart’s nine seasons with the team and in the 2021-22 season they fell short of the 18th championship in franchise history. The 29-year-old point guard played in 108 postseason games and posted averages of 12.8 points, 4.9 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals.

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Eager to start his time in Memphis

Nevertheless. Smart has his eyes on the future and is looking forward to coming to Memphis to be part of the Grizzly nation. The Grizzlies have an interesting core with Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson III, Desmond Bane and Santi Aldama.

“I will miss many things about Boston, but most importantly my teammates, fans, children and our charitable work at the hospital. It’s been a great nine years, Boston, thanks for all the love, but now it’s time to look forward. I can’t wait to get to Memphis and get started. We are preparing something special there. It is a blessing to be a part of the Grizzly nation. Let’s get to work,” Smart concluded.

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Jayson Tatum says goodbye to Marcus Smart

One of Smart’s most important friends in Boston was Jayson Tatum and the forward showed appreciation in his farewell message through his Instagram account.

“My brother, I will always be grateful for how you pushed me and helped me on this journey. Never change, it’s still you, the only one of your kind that will never be replaced. We will meet again one day and we will get one (championship), there is no doubt about that”, added the small forward. “Until then, much love, brother.”

Tatum and Smart were teammates from the 2017-18 season and together. According to Statmuse, the two played 351 games and had a record of 230 wins and 121 losses.

2023-06-23 22:07:10
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