Amid Trade Rumors, Marcus Smart Expects to Return from Injury After ASG Break

Boston Celtics backup point guard Marcus Smart expects to return from his lacerated hand injury after the All-Star break, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com.

Smart revealed he punched a picture frame in anger at the team hotel after missing a last-minute shot against the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 23. The frame so badly cut his hand that he required 20 stitches. 

"Frustration with myself and everything that was going on—it got the best of me," he noted. "When you get frustrated and get kind of angry, you don't really think straight and this happens. Stuff like this happens. It's just something that we have to learn from and move on. The hand is healing very well. I'll be back soon and I'm just blessed that nothing more serious happened to it."

Per Forsberg, Smart has recently been the subject of trade rumors, perhaps in part due to "Smart's incident combined with [Terry] Rozier's emergence." Rozier has averaged 14.5 points, 5.0 assists and 1.3 steals in the six games since Smart was injured, playing at least 24 minutes in each of those contests.

And ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Saturday's episode of the Woj Pod (h/t Erik Garcia Gundersen of USA Today) that the Celtics would consider dealing Smart if they received a first-round pick in return and "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." 

Smart doesn't believe his injury has anything to do with any potential trade rumors, however. 

"I've been in trade rumors since I've been in the league. It happens. It's business," he said. "Nothing's written in stone until it happens. We just kinda see how it goes, but I'm not worried about it. I don't think the trade rumors is because of my hand or anything like that."

It's also fair to question if the Celtics could get a first-round pick for a pending restricted free agent who has limitations on the offensive end. While Smart is a gritty and physical defender and has provided a solid 10.1 points, 4.7 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 30.3 minutes per game off the bench, he's also shooting just 35.7 percent from the field and 29.9 percent from three.

Rozier, in comparison, shoots 40 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from deep.

In the modern NBA, where floor-spacing has become paramount, Smart will always be something of a liability on the offensive end unless that shot improves. For a team lacking a defensive stopper in the backcourt, however, Smart will be intriguing.

Whether they are willing to offer a first-round pick for a potential rental is another question entirely.