Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens spoke to members of the media at the team’s practice facility late Thursday night following a busy NBA draft that saw the team connect on a number of minor deals. Boston’s trade the day prior took priority, however.
The previous evening, the Celtics agreed to send Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of a massive three-team deal that will land former All-Star Kristaps Porzingis in Boston next season. As such, the Celtics are swapping the club’s longest-tenured player and emotional leader for a dynamic but risky talent upgrade. Stevens spoke at length about what Smart represented to the Celtics on and off the court. He also outlined his enthusiasm for Porzingis’ arrival.
“I said this at the start of the summer,” Stevens said. “I thought that we needed to balance our roster and make sure that we looked at the best ways to do that. And that meant that we were going to likely lose a really, really, really good player.”
What are NBA analysts saying about the deal from their points of view? Let’s take a look at the gamut. https://t.co/J5GQJYBQXX
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) June 23, 2023