Celtics fleece Washington and Memphis with Marcus Smart deal

The Celtics pulled a blockbuster trade just prior to the Thursday NBA draft. After Brad Stevens hinted, only days after the season came to an abrupt end, that he would be happy running it back next season with the same team, he fooled everybody by changing the recipe of the team.

Initially on Wednesday, the Celtics appeared to be on the verge of trading Malcolm Brogdon to the LA Clippers in a three-team deal that would have landed Wizards’ Kristaps Porzingis in Boston. The deal fell through when the Clippers weren’t happy with Brogdon’s medical reports.

But that didn’t stop Stevens. He went to Plan B - probably knowing that Brogdon wouldn’t pass any teams’ physicals - which was to get the Memphis Grizzlies involved in a deal. The young Grizzlies (see Ja Morant) were in the market for some veteran leadership.

And so it happened late Wednesday night, as many Celtics’ fans were sleeping, that Porzingis did wind up coming to the Celtics. The surprise was that Marcus Smart, not Malcolm Brogdon, was now the one leaving.

Smart has been a polarizing figure in his nine years in Boston. You either love him or you hate him. Smart supporters point to his hustle, his grit, his basketball IQ, his passion, and his leadership as his key contributions to the team. Smart detractors point to his poor shooting, his poor shot selection, his over-eagerness to take big shots, his flopping, and his derisiveness as detriments to the team.

Many in the media like to define teams by their “Big Three.” It seems like every team has to have a “Big Three” to compete for a title. It started with the Celtics in the 80's with Bird, McHale, and Parish. More recently there was LeBron, D-Wade, and Bosh in Miami. The Celtics had Pierce, KG, and Ray Allen. During the Golden State Warriors run, it was Curry, Thompson, and Draymond with a little Durant mixed in.

Not all Big Threes have been successful. Brooklyn failed miserably with Durant, Kyrie, and Harden in the early 2020’s. Durant, Harden, and Westbrook never won anything when they first came up together in Oklahoma City.

The most recent reincarnation of the Big Three in Boston has been Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and … Marcus Smart. Smart likes to include himself in the Big Three. He has been on magazine covers with Tatum and Brown. He carries himself on the court and the sidelines as a leader of the team. That is why it will come as a shock to many that Smart was dealt.

But why was Stevens willing to part with Smart? And would Smart have still been traded if the Brogdon deal went through?

While many have speculated that either Tatum or Brown had to be traded, it was Smart who had to be traded. He was, indeed, divisive for the team. His relationship with Tatum and his freezing out of Brown and Brogdon hurt the team at the end of the season. Smart’s demands for the ball at the end of games has stunted the growth of Tatum and Brown and prohibited them from getting to the elite level. Smart’s alpha personality has impeded coach Joe Mazzulla’s control over the team.

For all these reasons Smart had to go, no matter what. The bonus here is that the Celtics got two first-round picks and a potential stud in 7-foot-3 Kristaps Porzingis. Porzingis, at the age of 27, should be entering the prime of his career. As proof of this, Porzingis had his best season of his career with the Wizards last year, averaging a career-high 23.2 points while starting 65 games. He is a former fourth-overall pick of the Knicks in 2015.

Porzingis has failed to live up to the reputation of being a lottery pick, but has been coming on strong in recent years. All hope is not lost, and the Celtics may be the big beneficiaries. Despite his size, he is a prolific three-point shooter, hitting 38.5% of his threes last year. He is also a terrific free throw shooter, averaging about 86% his last three seasons. And we all know coach Mazzulla loves his threes, and Porzingis’ free throw shooting will allow him to stay on the court late in close games. Not only that, but Porzingis poses no threat whatsoever to Mazzulla as a coach or Tatum and Brown as leaders of this team.

The move also allows Derrick White to become the starting point guard, as of now. The honor has been much deserved as White has continued to improve in his time with Boston. He has also proven to be a quiet leader and may be just the elixir the team needs to bring Tatum and Brown together.

Did I mention the Celtics got two first round picks out of this, too? The deal straight up would have been a win for the Celtics. They had no first round pick going into tonight, but now have the 25th pick in which they could pick a big-bodied, rebounding power forward like UConn’s Adama Sanogo. The Celtics also get a first-round pick in 2024 from Memphis, via the Warriors.

This has the makings of being one of the greatest trades in Celtics’ history, unless Porzingis becomes another Raef LaFrentz and the Celtics draft another Ron Mercer. Fortunately for the Celtics, they have Brad Stevens at the helm and not Rick Pitino.