Marcus Smart Seen Speaking with Nets GM Sean Marks, Others
July 10, 2018
With the Boston Celtics reportedly sitting back and letting the market play itself out, restricted free agent Marcus Smart appears to be exploring all of his options.
On Tuesday, The Athletic's Michael Scotto tweeted out a photo of what appears to be Smart talking to a contingent of Brooklyn Nets personnel:
Smart has met with two unnamed teams and will meet with two more, per Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe.
This comes on the heels of NBC Sports Boston's A. Sherrod Blakely reporting Monday the Sacramento Kings were preparing to make an offer to the guard. However, a source later told Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee that is not the case.
Boston has the right to match any offer sheet signed by Smart, but the veteran is not pleased with how the team that drafted him four years ago has approached his free agency. According to Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald, Smart is "hurt and disgusted" by the lack of communication by Danny Ainge and Co.
Smart has turned into a key rotation piece during his four years in Boston. This past season, he averaged 10.2 points, 4.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, and the numbers don't tell the story of his strong defense or leadership.
"To be honest, I'm worth more than $12-$14 million," Smart told ESPN.com's Jackie MacMullan in late May. "Just for the things I do on the court that don't show up on the stat sheet. You don't find guys like that. I always leave everything on the court, every game. Tell me how many other players can say that."
Despite his skill set and intangibles, the Celtics have reportedly not prioritized getting him under contract this summer. As of last week, per Murphy, the two sides had not spoken since before the start of free agency, which was July 1. Not only that, but the qualifying offer is the only offer the team has made to him.
Talking to teams like the Kings and the Nets could get the Celtics' attention. In the end, though, Boston will (eventually) be the one to decide if the relationship continues.