How Marcus Smart Felt Following ‘Last Minute’ Trade From Grizzlies

Former Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart never got acclimated fully before the Memphis Grizzlies pulled the plug and traded him away.

Memphis traded Smart and a 2025 first-round pick to the Washington Wizards in a three-team trade involving the Sacramento Kings, which netted the Grizzlies two second-round picks. Smart was initially considered a valuable member of Memphis’ young squad upon his arrival last season, however, injuries derailed those plans.

Smart suffered a right index finger injury that’s sidelined him since Dec. 21 that’s limited him to no team drills and individual basketball activities. Last season, Smart logged just 20 appearances, recovering from a sprained left foot and injured finger, and even though the 11-year veteran understands the nature of the trade deadline, that didn’t make it any less shocking for Smart when he heard the news.

“I was a little surprised but also not at the same time,” Smart told reporters Saturday, per team-provided video. “I figured I’d get traded. I just didn’t know where — we were kind of just waiting. But I was a little bit surprised, it was a little last minute but that’s out of my control and I tend to not focus on things I can’t control.”

It was hard enough for Smart to watch the Celtics reach their ultimate goal — winning a championship — while the 30-year-old watched from home, eliminated from the playoffs. Smart spent his first nine NBA seasons with Boston after the team selected him sixth overall in the 2014 draft, and quickly became a fan favorite.

Smart embodied the all-on-the-line complex that’s made Celtics players of the past some of the most respected and remembered legends of all time. It earned Smart a Defensive Player of the Year honor in 2022, making him the first Celtics player to win the award since Kevin Garnett (2008).

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens made the difficult decision to trade Smart in the three-team blockbuster that brought Boston Kristaps Porzingis two offseasons ago. By the time Stevens pulled the trigger, Smart’s reputation was well-established. Celtics fans and teammates respected everything he brought to the table that wasn’t acknowledged in the box score.

Smart gave Boston 110% every night and helped the team reach the 2022 NBA Finals. He played 581 games in a Celtics uniform and ranks fourth all-time in steals (914) in C’s history. It wasn’t enough for Banner 18, but Smart still plans to apply everything he learned in Boston, now as a member of the Wizards.

“Just my experience,” Smart said. “I’m in my 11th season and I’ve played for really good teams up until now and was able to do some things with them, and really just bring that experience over here. It’s a young group of guys really looking to figure out their own in this league and just helping them with that.”

The Wizards have gone 9-44 as the worst team in the Eastern Conference, amid their ongoing painful rebuilding process.

Smart will also reunite with ex-Celtics teammate Malcolm Brogdon in the Nation’s Capital.