Danny Ainge Hopeful, Realistic About Marcus Smart’s Future With Celtics

by **bobheckler** Fri Jun 01, 2018 12:34 pm

https://nesn.com/2018/05/danny-ainge-hopeful-realistic-about-marcus-smarts-future-with-celtics/

Danny Ainge Hopeful, Realistic About Marcus Smart’s Future With Celtics

by Ricky Doyle

on Thu, May 31, 2018 at 4:45PM

Danny Ainge Hopeful, Realistic About Marcus Smart’s Future With Celtics Marcus_smart

Photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images

Danny Ainge has long been a fan of Marcus Smart, so it should come as no surprise that the Boston Celtics president of basketball operations would like to find a way to keep the hard-nosed guard in green this offseason.

“We need Marcus. Marcus is a good player,” Ainge said Thursday on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Toucher and Rich.” “He provides a lot of energy for our team and I hope that we can work something out going forward.”

Ainge also is realistic, though. And while he’ll be the first to acknowledge Smart’s importance to the Celtics over the last four seasons, he understands the NBA landscape and what it takes to build a contender while managing payroll.

Smart, who’s set to become a restricted free agent this summer, said after the Celtics’ Game 7 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers last week that he believes he’s worth more than $12 to $14 million annually. That ultimately might be too rich for Boston’s blood, in which case the C’s will need to focus on replacing Smarts’s heart, grit and defensive excellence.

“I think that everybody is replaceable,” Ainge said Thursday. “If there was ever a situation with a team where guys would know that, it would be this team that just went through what we went through this year. We’re all replaceable, and we’ll be able to move on and move forward without any players. Nobody is irreplaceable, but Marcus certainly is a player that has been big for us over the last few years.”

The Celtics can make a qualifying offer worth about $6.1 million to Smart. They also can match any free agent offer that is made by another team. It’ll be interesting to see how the market shakes out for his services, seeing as much of his impact is difficult to quantify. But Ainge had no problem with Smart pumping up his own value immediately after Boston was eliminated from the NBA playoffs.

“I wouldn’t, but a lot of players do, so it’s his prerogative,” Ainge said. “Just simply he’s got a million cameras in front of him, a bunch of mics. It’s not like he’s coming out and saying, ‘Hey, I need this.’ Someone was asking that question and was persisting on like, ‘Well, what do you think you’re worth?’ And he just answered it in his honest opinion.”

Smart, who was selected sixth overall in the 2014 NBA Draft, has given a lot to the Celtics since entering the league. Maybe his next contribution will be a hometown discount.

bob

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by **mrkleen09** Fri Jun 01, 2018 1:37 pm

I love Marcus, but if he really thinks he is worth more than 12 million a year - he can go. Seriously.

3 years 35 million and call it a day. Anything else is not in the teams best interest.

by **dboss** Fri Jun 01, 2018 1:59 pm

I think it is important to understand that most players do not really understand value. They may look at this guy or that guy who plays for some other team and conclude that if HE makes that much I know I am worth this much.

I believe we have been hammering away on the Smart issue and have looked at it from a lot of angles.

We still do not know who is interested other than Boston.

In another 30 days or so we should get an answer to this question. I expect that he will sign the QO for a year and look to get paid next year.

by **mrkleen09** Fri Jun 01, 2018 2:34 pm

I would suggest that accepting a qualifying offer means either you think

A) teams around the league will have a lot more money to spend next year
or
B) you expect to improve a great deal, and earn a bigger contract.

I dont see either being the case with Smart.

by **swish** Fri Jun 01, 2018 3:16 pm

If Irving, Horford, Hayward, Tatum and Brown are going to be as awesome as many on this board are predicting - they are the ones who will be eating up the big minutes - so why the concern about who will be going up against the scrubs on the other teams. There will be plenty of solid backups at or near the vet minimum to handle the off the bench minutes. Save money now to ensure that the cash is there when it's time to bid for the services of Irving and a replacement for Horford.

swish

by **jrleftfoot** Fri Jun 01, 2018 3:48 pm

This isn`t the 60s . Five guys aren`t going to eat up all the minutes. Smart has been playing major minutes at crunch time. I don`t know what he`s worth , but I think you`re being a trifle dismissive, swish. "Plenty of guys" are not going to provide what Smart does, IMO. The bench is an essential component of today`s game. Wilt wouldn`t be playing every minute of every game as he did back in the day for, I believe, an entire season.

by **RosalieTCeltics** Fri Jun 01, 2018 5:50 pm

Crazy money is gone, Smart is thinking over 15 million.
Not gonna happen in Boston. I think he is over evaluating himself. Danny was interviewed and when the subject of contracts came up and Smart, all of a sudden there was a quip about "mirrors". So, did he punch a mirror? Or a picture? Whatever, it is there in their minds, so his maturity may come into question.

I like the kid, and he is going through alot right now with his Mom, but reality may about to be seen in July.

by **dboss** Fri Jun 01, 2018 6:17 pm

mrkleen09 wrote:I would suggest that accepting a qualifying offer means either you think

A) teams around the league will have a lot more money to spend next year
or
B) you expect to improve a great deal, and earn a bigger contract.

I dont see either being the case with Smart.

There is just one factor in play here. You take the QO because that is the most you can get and you gain UFA in one year.

If no ones is willing to offer Smart a contract he has no options but to take the QO. I think he should be able to secure MLE money but who's knows.

by **mrkleen09** Fri Jun 01, 2018 8:25 pm

dboss wrote: If no ones is willing to offer Smart a contract he has no options but to take the QO.

You dont think someone will offer Marcus a contract?

by **dboss** Fri Jun 01, 2018 9:38 pm

mrkleen09 wrote:
dboss wrote: If no ones is willing to offer Smart a contract he has no options but to take the QO.

You dont think someone will offer Marcus a contract?

Yes I do but the notion that he will get a big one $12 plus for examole seems far fetched given a hard market. Plus teams know Boston can match.

If Marcus was a 1st or second team all D player his value would be higher.

I really think he may get the full MLE offer. Yet it is hard to judge. There are a lot of free agents competing for dollars.

A team that is already there competing but could use a defensive specialist and high energy guy, that guy could be Marcus but he is not getting big money because he is not a shot maker.

by **dboss** Fri Jun 01, 2018 9:41 pm

Kleen truth is I just don't know.

I guess I am hoping the figure is low enough so the the Celtics can retain his services.

by **gyso** Fri Jun 01, 2018 9:51 pm

Money and minutes, that's M&Ms. Me, I'm partial to the kind with peanuts but I'll eat the regular ones just as fast.

M&Ms and how they relate to the Celtics, I believe I'll let Danny worry about that. If he makes a Smart choice, that's good. That's what he gets paid to do, make Smart choices.

As to who gets how much and how many, all I care is that the result is No.18. After that, we'll go for another one.

gyso

by **fierce** Sat Jun 02, 2018 8:11 am

gyso wrote:Money and minutes, that's M&Ms. Me, I'm partial to the kind with peanuts but I'll eat the regular ones just as fast.

M&Ms and how they relate to the Celtics, I believe I'll let Danny worry about that. If he makes a Smart choice, that's good. That's what he gets paid to do, make Smart choices.

As to who gets how much and how many, all I care is that the result is No.18. After that, we'll go for another one.

gyso

Agree.

Money should not be our concern.

It's not coming out of our pockets anyway.

by **fierce** Sat Jun 02, 2018 8:17 am

If Smart is really asking for too much money and the Celts don't want to pay him, let him go.

If Ainge can get a HEALTHY Kawhi Leonard, no need for Smart, Brown, and Rozier.

Celts will also have to give Rozier and Brown big money in the near future.

Just follow the GSW model.

More star players gives you the best chance of winning MULTIPLE championships.

I mean is there really anyone who thinks the Cavs can beat GSW this year?

by **kdp59** Sat Jun 02, 2018 10:58 am

mrkleen09 wrote:
dboss wrote: If no ones is willing to offer Smart a contract he has no options but to take the QO.

You dont think someone will offer Marcus a contract?

Keep an eye on A. Bradley IF Smart gets an offer Danny won't match.

We could stay below the tax line IF Smart leaves and that would have our MLE go from $5.3M up to over $8M. Should be enough to bring Bradley back ( if he has any interest).

Just something to keep in the back of our minds as this plays out.

In the end I expect Smart to sign his QO and become an UFA next season, when there is more money league wide than this year.

that is probably NOT what Danny wants, as he could be faced with paying Irving, Smart and Rozier all in the same year and after winning a title . Not a good place for any GM to be in.

by **cowens/oldschool** Sun Jun 03, 2018 2:20 pm

If Smart got an offer that Danny couldn’t match, would love to see AB and his stiffling D back in green!! Also a much better shooter than Smart and with all these new pieces, he’d be in heaven burying open J’s. He wouldn’t have to play 30 plus minutes, just come in for stretches and shutdown the hot backcourt scorer, a great option to have.

by **Ktronic1** Sun Jun 03, 2018 5:23 pm

jrleftfoot wrote:This isn`t the 60s . Five guys aren`t going to eat up all the minutes. Smart has been playing major minutes at crunch time. I don`t know what he`s worth , but I think you`re being a trifle dismissive, swish. "Plenty of guys" are not going to provide what Smart does, IMO. The bench is an essential component of today`s game. Wilt wouldn`t be playing every minute of every game as he did back in the day for, I believe, an entire season.

Agree.....
There are a lot of Basketball savvy folks on this board but it appears that a lot have problems quantifying just how valuable a Marcus Smart is. The salary cap is a frigging joke. The Money the players make is capped but the Billionaire owners is not.
Smart is very much worth the money he stated. Whether its here or elsewhere. And whether he gets it or not still is not a factual measurement on what he’s truly worth. He thinks he is and its important that he does think he is.
Everyone here that’s still working more than likely feels that they’re underpaid.
Look, I understand that the market dictates what a player can earn but it’s NOT a measure of what one’s worth.
I hope he stays and gets close to what he’s worth. I don’t want to see him on another team. He’s Celtic Green. Ya know what I mean? (the last few sentences are my lame attempt at being poetic) :>)

by **Ktronic1** Sun Jun 03, 2018 5:29 pm

dboss wrote:
mrkleen09 wrote:
dboss wrote: If no ones is willing to offer Smart a contract he has no options but to take the QO.

You dont think someone will offer Marcus a contract?
Yes I do but the notion that he will get a big one $12 plus for examole seems far fetched given a hard market. Plus teams know Boston can match.

If Marcus was a 1st or second team all D player his value would be higher.

I really think he may get the full MLE offer. Yet it is hard to judge. There are a lot of free agents competing for dollars.

A team that is already there competing but could use a defensive specialist and high energy guy, that guy could be Marcus but he is not getting big money because he is not a shot maker.

Marcus is a 1st or 2nd team all D player. Just because he wasn’t voted in doesn’t mean that good Gm’s and/or coaches don’t recognize that. If they value what he brings and can pay it, prudence dictates that they will find a way to.

by **swedeinestonia** Mon Jun 04, 2018 11:29 am

I am sure most coaches would love to have a player like Smart available because of the tone he sets for the rest of the team and his versatility on defense. I am not so sure GMs love Smart as much because he doesnt exactly sell tickets and so on. He is a player that is useful for a contender or a soon to be contender and luckily enough most of those I am guessing wont really have the cap space to spend on him.

I think he will be a Celtic for at least another season and barring some major injury I think it would benefit him financially in the long run too.

by **Shamrock1000** Mon Jun 04, 2018 1:26 pm

Somebody, an analyst or a writer, described Smart as a guy who lights the house on fire, and then gets accolades for jumping out of a window to save the cat. Probably a litte unfair, but there is some truth to it. When he makes plays, they are big plays, sometimes game-saving plays, but his general offensive incomptency is part of the reason the game is on the line in the first place. Personally, I think he is getting smarter (no pun intended). He may never be even average offensive player, but he seems to be making fewer of those ultra-bonehead plays. If he can reduce those ill-advised early-clock 3's and continue to understand how he brings value to the team, he is a guy you want on your side. It's a tough call though. Hard to justify paying him 12 or 14 million, but there is something about the guy, and it would seem to be a real waste to just let him walk without getting anything in return. Best case is he has to take the QO - this would buy Danny more time to either trade him or see if he improves.

by **mrkleen09** Mon Jun 04, 2018 2:11 pm

Shamrock1000 wrote:Somebody, an analyst or a writer, described Smart as a guy who lights the house on fire, and then gets accolades for jumping out of a window to save the cat. Probably a litte unfair, but there is some truth to it. When he makes plays, they are big plays, sometimes game-saving plays, but his general offensive incomptency is part of the reason the game is on the line in the first place. Personally, I think he is getting smarter (no pun intended). He may never be even average offensive player, but he seems to be making fewer of those ultra-bonehead plays. If he can reduce those ill-advised early-clock 3's and continue to understand how he brings value to the team, he is a guy you want on your side. It's a tough call though. Hard to justify paying him 12 or 14 million, but there is something about the guy, and it would seem to be a real waste to just let him walk without getting anything in return. Best case is he has to take the QO - this would buy Danny more time to either trade him or see if he improves.

Pretty much disagree with both premises here -
A) Smart saves games, but was the reason the game was in trouble to begin with
and
B) Danny is under the impression that Marcus will improve his offensive game.

Marcus Smart is what he is. He makes some bad plays, but made far less of them after his return from injury. Anyone can look at his impact in the playoffs this year and think he is the cause of the fire, wasnt pay attention.

The Celtics dont get out of the FIRST ROUND without Marcus, that alone should put is value beyond question. Having said that, I agree that what he thinks he is worth is not what the Celtics can afford to pay a player with his limited offensive abilities.

by **Shamrock1000** Mon Jun 04, 2018 3:00 pm

mrkleen09 wrote:
Shamrock1000 wrote:Somebody, an analyst or a writer, described Smart as a guy who lights the house on fire, and then gets accolades for jumping out of a window to save the cat. Probably a litte unfair, but there is some truth to it. When he makes plays, they are big plays, sometimes game-saving plays, but his general offensive incomptency is part of the reason the game is on the line in the first place. Personally, I think he is getting smarter (no pun intended). He may never be even average offensive player, but he seems to be making fewer of those ultra-bonehead plays. If he can reduce those ill-advised early-clock 3's and continue to understand how he brings value to the team, he is a guy you want on your side. It's a tough call though. Hard to justify paying him 12 or 14 million, but there is something about the guy, and it would seem to be a real waste to just let him walk without getting anything in return. Best case is he has to take the QO - this would buy Danny more time to either trade him or see if he improves.

Pretty much disagree with both premises here -
A) Smart saves games, but was the reason the game was in trouble to begin with
and
B) Danny is under the impression that Marcus will improve his offensive game.

Marcus Smart is what he is. He makes some bad plays, but made far less of them after his return from injury. Anyone can look at his impact in the playoffs this year and think he is the cause of the fire, wasnt pay attention.

The Celtics dont get out of the FIRST ROUND without Marcus, that alone should put is value beyond question. Having said that, I agree that what he thinks he is worth is not what the Celtics can afford to pay a player with his limited offensive abilities.

Point B was really more about the idea that signing Marcus gor one year with the QO would give him a chance to trade him and thus not simply lose him for nothing. By "improve", I meant tbat he would reduce dumb plays even more, and it seems we both agree he is trending in the right direction. I agree he probably is what he is offensively.

I will dig into tbe numbers to see if there is any clarity regarding how his below average efg% affected things negatively vs how his defense/grit helped.

by **swish** Mon Jun 04, 2018 3:24 pm

Shamrock1000 wrote:
mrkleen09 wrote:
Shamrock1000 wrote:Somebody, an analyst or a writer, described Smart as a guy who lights the house on fire, and then gets accolades for jumping out of a window to save the cat. Probably a litte unfair, but there is some truth to it. When he makes plays, they are big plays, sometimes game-saving plays, but his general offensive incomptency is part of the reason the game is on the line in the first place. Personally, I think he is getting smarter (no pun intended). He may never be even average offensive player, but he seems to be making fewer of those ultra-bonehead plays. If he can reduce those ill-advised early-clock 3's and continue to understand how he brings value to the team, he is a guy you want on your side. It's a tough call though. Hard to justify paying him 12 or 14 million, but there is something about the guy, and it would seem to be a real waste to just let him walk without getting anything in return. Best case is he has to take the QO - this would buy Danny more time to either trade him or see if he improves.

Pretty much disagree with both premises here -
A) Smart saves games, but was the reason the game was in trouble to begin with
and
B) Danny is under the impression that Marcus will improve his offensive game.

Marcus Smart is what he is. He makes some bad plays, but made far less of them after his return from injury. Anyone can look at his impact in the playoffs this year and think he is the cause of the fire, wasnt pay attention.

The Celtics dont get out of the FIRST ROUND without Marcus, that alone should put is value beyond question. Having said that, I agree that what he thinks he is worth is not what the Celtics can afford to pay a player with his limited offensive abilities.

Point B was really more about the idea that signing Marcus gor one year with the QO would give him a chance to trade him and thus not simply lose him for nothing. By "improve", I meant tbat he would reduce dumb plays even more, and it seems we both agree he is trending in the right direction. I agree he probably is what he is offensively.

I will dig into tbe numbers to see if there is any clarity regarding how his below average efg% affected things negatively vs how his defense/grit helped.

Good luck Shamrock1000 - Iv'e been looking for years to find a plus-minus method to place a value on the comparative value on those 2 issues that confront Smart.

swish

by **dboss** Mon Jun 04, 2018 4:45 pm

I thought thete is an indication that Boston is a better team with Smart on the floor tahn when he is on the bench. That evaluation conteplates both the good and bad. The final result was a plus in favor of Smart.

That is the reason why i stated multiple times during the playoffs that we would need him to come back to get past the Bucks.

It will not be long before all of us have an answer.

by **Shamrock1000** Mon Jun 04, 2018 5:08 pm

dboss wrote:I thought thete is an indication that Boston is a better team with Smart on the floor tahn when he is on the bench. That evaluation conteplates both the good and bad. The final result was a plus in favor of Smart.

That is the reason why i stated multiple times during the playoffs that we would need him to come back to get past the Bucks.

It will not be long before all of us have an answer.

Are you refering to the overall plus/minus stat? That does indeed indicate that Smart is a net positive, but that is not what I was thinking of. Plus/minus cannot really evaluate the effect of a single player, and will always reflect the overall performance of the 5 players an individual is most often grouped with. As Swish mentioned, it is tricky to evaluate this in basketball, where it is difficult to numerically isolate the effect of a single player and then analyze the offensive and defensive aspects separately.

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