Report: Marcus Smart available for first round pick

http://celticswire.usatoday.com/2018/02/03/report-marcus-smart-available-for-first-round-pick/




Report: Marcus Smart available for first round pick




Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images



By: Erik García Gundersen | 29 minutes ago



The Boston Celtics have some decisions to make. After adding Greg Monroe to the team yesterday, the Celtics may not be done dealing. And according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, they could be convinced to part ways with a core member of their team, Marcus Smart.

“You talk about Marcus Smart, he’s a player that’s available for a first round pick. If a team was willing to give Boston a first, Boston would look at,” Woj said in the latest edition of his podcast with Bobby Marks. “If they didn’t have to take back a lot of money going out in the future. He’s restricted this summer, you don’t know what it will cost to keep him.”

“He’s proven he can help you win a playoff game or two. He doesn’t shoot great from 3-point line, some of the things you want from a guard in this day and age. He defends, he’s super competitive. But they can’t pay everybody in Boston and they’re going to have to make decisions. But does a team want to give up a first for a player when they don’t know what it will cost to keep him. I’m not sure that will happen. But I think certainly if they were going to make a move with one of their core guys, there’s potential that it’s going to be Smart.”

Marks then tried to peg his value.

“When you trade a first for a player when you know he’s restricted, you’ll have a qualifying offer, you usually have to exceed what you pay him,” Marks said. “For a team that is interested in Marcus Smart you better be doing your homework on the market this summer, figure out what other guards are going to be out there and what would be a home for him. I have a hard time if it’s not Boston, where else is there a home. Two years ago he would be a player who would be getting $13-15 million, now you’re looking in that $8-10 range.”

So, the Celtics may not be able to keep Smart. But as Marks has trouble finding a home for the physical guard outside of Boston, where could that be?

One hypothetical destination that comes to mind is the Portland Trail Blazers, who the Celtics host on Sunday. Whether they’d be willing to give up a first round pick is debatable, but Smart would add some extra defensive prowess to the duo of CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard. Smart has shown no problems playing up a position and also has a knack for guarding bigger players.

Maurice Harkless, a 6-9 forward, has not played much for the Blazers this season and is under contract for two more seasons after this one. He fits the type of switchability the Celtics are aiming to have across the board.

But it remains to be seen whether his contract, two more years at $10.3 million and $11 million, is what the Celtics are looking for. But if a pick is on the table, the Celtics would at least listen to deals for Smart.



bob
MY NOTE: Smart was the #6 pick. It seems to me that IF you're trading him for a pick that's lower than #6 that's not a good return.


.

bobheckler wrote:http://celticswire.usatoday.com/2018/02/03/report-marcus-smart-available-for-first-round-pick/




Report: Marcus Smart available for first round pick




Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images



By: Erik García Gundersen | 29 minutes ago



The Boston Celtics have some decisions to make. After adding Greg Monroe to the team yesterday, the Celtics may not be done dealing. And according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, they could be convinced to part ways with a core member of their team, Marcus Smart.

“You talk about Marcus Smart, he’s a player that’s available for a first round pick. If a team was willing to give Boston a first, Boston would look at,” Woj said in the latest edition of his podcast with Bobby Marks. “If they didn’t have to take back a lot of money going out in the future. He’s restricted this summer, you don’t know what it will cost to keep him.”

“He’s proven he can help you win a playoff game or two. He doesn’t shoot great from 3-point line, some of the things you want from a guard in this day and age. He defends, he’s super competitive. But they can’t pay everybody in Boston and they’re going to have to make decisions. But does a team want to give up a first for a player when they don’t know what it will cost to keep him. I’m not sure that will happen. But I think certainly if they were going to make a move with one of their core guys, there’s potential that it’s going to be Smart.”

Marks then tried to peg his value.

“When you trade a first for a player when you know he’s restricted, you’ll have a qualifying offer, you usually have to exceed what you pay him,” Marks said. “For a team that is interested in Marcus Smart you better be doing your homework on the market this summer, figure out what other guards are going to be out there and what would be a home for him. I have a hard time if it’s not Boston, where else is there a home. Two years ago he would be a player who would be getting $13-15 million, now you’re looking in that $8-10 range.”

So, the Celtics may not be able to keep Smart. But as Marks has trouble finding a home for the physical guard outside of Boston, where could that be?

One hypothetical destination that comes to mind is the Portland Trail Blazers, who the Celtics host on Sunday. Whether they’d be willing to give up a first round pick is debatable, but Smart would add some extra defensive prowess to the duo of CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard. Smart has shown no problems playing up a position and also has a knack for guarding bigger players.

Maurice Harkless, a 6-9 forward, has not played much for the Blazers this season and is under contract for two more seasons after this one. He fits the type of switchability the Celtics are aiming to have across the board.

But it remains to be seen whether his contract, two more years at $10.3 million and $11 million, is what the Celtics are looking for. But if a pick is on the table, the Celtics would at least listen to deals for Smart.



bob
MY NOTE:  Smart was the #6 pick.  It seems to me that IF you're trading him for a pick that's lower than #6 that's not a good return.


.

The big news here is that Boston is ready to move Smart.  Just because Smart was picked 6th does not devalue taking a lower pick.  Part of the reason is money.  And knowing Danny boy he will end up with some future first rounder that turns into a Golden Egg.  

Danny is clearly looking to make another move before the trade deadline pops up.  Smart's name may have been bandied about simply because the Celtics are done with him even at a discounted price in the $8-$10 million range.  Also, his recent incident is cause enough to part ways.  Injuries happen but self inflicted injuries cannot possibly be acceptable unless you are a the  director of a mental ward where all shoes strings and belts along with any sharp objects are confiscated.

dboss

BobH,

That may be assuming Smart was the best available at #6 at the time (I'm not so sure he was). With that said, I think this has to do more with salary than anything else. Smart can do multiple things for you but he's at his ceiling as a player.


KJ

This comes from Adrian Wojnarowski, I see no other secondary source.

To be fair to Woj, he has been a little more on the mark this year.

But is this worth believing without a second? I see no quotes of sources. Not even the almost compulsory unnamed source with close ties to the front office.

Looking at how reasonable it might be, I think it's a tough sell. He's too strong a defender and one of the best distributors on the team. Even if he could walk after the season, would you just send him packing in a year where you might contend for a title? For a draft pick?

No doubt you would have to have another deal in the works.

Unlike the Monroe deal, where there were multiple sources, I'd file this under assumptions.

Money is the big thing here. Danny knows what Smart and his agent want. He does not have any intention of paying smart 15 plus million dollars for four years. They drew the line in the sand at the beginning of the season when he refused Danny's offer, which I really think might have been a tad low???? However, there is the question of paying him or giving it to Terry Rozier. Another couple of games like he has had and I think even Brad would help Marcus pack his bags!!!

I don't know where I stand here, because I love defense and the way Smart plays. But he has pulled some stupid things since being here, this last incident being the worst. He may cost the Celtics a couple of games. But I worry, when they are up against Toronto, Cleveland and even Washington if Wall is on the floor,
if they will have the defensive firepower to win.

i guess we will never know until something happens, and I really am beginning to think Terry has taken the 6th man spot from Smart, fair and square. So, I guess I will have to keep watching this week to see if this is goodbye to, as Draper would call him, The Cobra.

By the way, is there anyway we can throw Draper in on the deal?????

RosalieTCeltics wrote:
By the way, is there anyway we can throw Draper in on the deal?????

Rosalie,

I don't know; what could we get in return?

Regards

Danny will either trade or let a guy walk if he has decided that the cost to retain him is more than The Celtics are willing to pay.

Danny has taken this position countless times.

Building a contender for the long haul is extremely difficult because of the CAP and penalties.  Since Danny still has significant draft assets in the bank it gives him more flexibility to let a good player walk or to trade him for even more draft assets.

So this article is about an opinion that Smart could be a potentially availible player for a draft pick...

This could be a story that is just that...a story. He could also be fishing around the league to see just what he could get for Smart. Or it could be nothing, like a lot of the stuff that appears on the blogs. Wojo used to be the word of mouth, but lately a lot more stuff comes out that never takes place. It might be a slow weekend and they need some excitement!!

This is a hard one to judge.

The perfect storm of several factors converging:

-Marcus Smart's self-inflicted injury
-Marcus Smart's restricted free agency
-Feb 8th trade deadline
-Rozier's rise with his starting role

Where there is smoke, there's fire sometimes. I very much feel that Smart is definitely on the trading block.


KJ

NYCelt wrote:

RosalieTCeltics wrote:
By the way, is there anyway we can throw Draper in on the deal?????

Rosalie,

I don't know; what could we get in return?

Regards

A stale bag of donuts for Draper should suffice!

bobc33 wrote:

NYCelt wrote:

RosalieTCeltics wrote:
By the way, is there anyway we can throw Draper in on the deal?????

Rosalie,

I don't know; what could we get in return?

Regards

A stale bag of donuts for Draper should suffice!

Boston Cream?

Honey Dew or Dunkin?

NYCelt wrote:

bobc33 wrote:

NYCelt wrote:

RosalieTCeltics wrote:
By the way, is there anyway we can throw Draper in on the deal?????

Rosalie,

I don't know; what could we get in return?

Regards

A stale bag of donuts for Draper should suffice!

Boston Cream?

Honey Dew or Dunkin?

Usually I’d go with Dunkin, but since it is Draper let’s trade him for a bag of month old Honey Dew plain.

bobc33 wrote:

NYCelt wrote:

bobc33 wrote:

NYCelt wrote:

RosalieTCeltics wrote:
By the way, is there anyway we can throw Draper in on the deal?????

Rosalie,

I don't know; what could we get in return?

Regards

A stale bag of donuts for Draper should suffice!

Boston Cream?

Honey Dew or Dunkin?

Usually I’d go with Dunkin, but since it is Draper let’s trade him for a bag of month old Honey Dew plain.

OK. No way I can debate that one!

BTW, I have to admit to being completely addicted to Dunkin' iced coffee. Summer or winter, can't drive by without getting one. Black, or with a splash of cream. Man, that's good stuff.

Every morning, Iced Coffee....drives people nuts. I hate hot coffee

Well, I want him gone, so.....I let him go for free....

The way I see this........it's Danny's way of F&*#!@G with Smart and his agents head.

First.........looks as though Smarts agent is asking way too much for his next contract.........defense aside........Smart's offensive scoring plain sucked ........except for a select amount of games that he got hot..........YoYo basketball!

Second, I think Danny is pissed off at Smart and his hand injury....now to exceed the 2 week projection originally released........now it's another 2 weeks.

With the addition of Monroe and another player perhaps Evans we have an incredible opportunity to reach the finals and WIN! Does Smart want to play for a non contender after 3 years of hard work with the Celtics??????? I do not think so!

It's liars poker at its best.............and Danny holds the winning hand!

112288

Time to move on from Smart.

Ainge better get something for Smart of he'll end up losing Smart for nothing.
Just like the Celts got nothing when Olynyk left.

Right now the Celts are on the verge of making the Finals.
Celts need stability and consistency.
Smart doesn't provide that.

With Rozier on the Celts roster the Celts already have a player with comparable skills to replace Smart. At 3 mil next year he's a bargain. While Smart has not shown any offensive skills improvement whatsoever in his 4 year nba career - Rozier has improved measurably over each of his 3 years and is already equal to Smart Offensively. Perhaps a Smart trade could bring in some added scoring punch to help shorten the scoring gap between the Celts and Warriors.

Swish

remember that an Evans for Smart trade works cap wise.

Evans would likely be more likely to resign next year for the Mid level exception type money than Smart also.

Though my current favorite IF we trade Smart is to Utah fro R.Hood (also a RFA next year).

gyso wrote:I would prefer to keep Marcus Smart for the rest of the season and let him walk away for nothing this summer than trade him for a mid to late first round pick.

We have enough young guys on our roster as it stands today.  We still have a few future first rounders in the wings.  What value to our team would be added to include another at this time?

We have a very good chance to make it to the finals this year.  That means that we are a contending team.  Once we get to the finals, anything can happen.  Why throw away a somewhat bent, but useful arrow from our quiver at this crucial juncture?

The future is now.  As the OP wrote, "He's proven he can help you win a playoff game or two."  That may be all we need to get to the promised land.

gyso

I AGREE 100%

Makes no sense to trade him when he is a defensive asset. Off season we can draft or trade for his replacement.

112288

If Danny intends to keep Smart after the season there is no reason to move him now.

However we really do not know what is going on inside the mind of Danny Ainge.  If Danny is leaning towards cutting ties then he needs to move Marcus now and at least get something in return.

The Celtics would miss his defense but they damn sure would not miss his offense.  Nevertheless, he has been an integral part of the Celtics' resurgence over the past 4 years and has given a true measure of himself to this team and the fans (all the fans)

He has more significance than any replacement player because you know what you are going to get.  You know regardless of missing shots he is bound to make a game changing play that contributes to a win.

I understand the dynamics at work here.  But I really believe that Danny will decide and like it or not, I plan to support his decision even if it turns out to be the wrong.  

My thoughts reflects the difficulty in determining the best course of action.