By Ron Wynn
NASHVILLE, TN — The vast majority of NBA fans were sleeping last Wednesday night when the Memphis Grizzlies landed one of the league’s best defensive players. The Grizzlies were part of a three-team deal with the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards. When the dust settled on a deal that had to be completed before 12 midnight Eastern time, the Grizzlies had acquired longtime Celtics guard Marcus Smart. The Grizzlies sent the Celtics their first round pick in this year’s draft (the 25th overall selection), plus the Golden State Warriors top-four protected pick in 2024. They also sent Tyus Jones to the Wizards. The Celtics acquired Christaps Porzingis coming off his best NBA season, from the Wizards, sending Washington forward Danilo Galinari and center Mike Muscala.
Porzingis had to opt into his $36 million player option for the 2023-24 season before 12 midnight, and did so in time for the Celtics to reconfigure the trade after their original plans to have the Los Angeles Clippers be part of the three-team deal fell apart due to physical problems with guard Malcolm Brogdon, who had been slated to go to the Clippers.
But for the Grizzlies, a team in transition coming off a very disappointing playoff performance, the trade represents part of the team’s desire to reshape its image and also get some veteran leadership into the locker room of a squad many observers felt was way too young and immature to seriously contend for a title. They have already announced they were parting ways with longtime defensive stalwart Dillon Brooks and the Grizzlies may still make more moves.
The Smart trade caught a lot of folks by surprise because he was widely regarded as an integral member of the Celtics, and the key to their team defense. Boston made the NBA Finals two years ago, but were upset this past season by Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals. A major problem for the Celtics during that series was turnovers, as well as long stretches of ineffective offense. Smart had been on the Celtics longer than any other current player, and in the 2021-22 season became the first guard in decades to be named NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
There were rumblings this past season that his defense had slipped, and concerns about shot selection and inconsistency as the point guard. But he will be welcome in Memphis, where he will most likely be the starting point guard for the first 25 games as Ja Morant serves his suspension. The funny thing regarding the criticism of Smart is that he averaged a career-high 6.3 assists per game last season, a figure the Grizzlies will gladly take. With Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr., all the Grizzlies want from Smart is to run the offense effectively and to remain a topflight defender. Left unsaid but certainly another part of the equation is the hope he can be a mentor for the team’s young stars, most notably Morant. Tyus Jones had been a valuable reserve for Memphis, filling in admirably during multiple times when Morant was either injured or suspended. But Jones had a dismal playoff performance, shooting only 30 percent from the floor. He wanted the chance to be a starter, and will get that with the Wizards, who are now in full rebuild mode.
Whether Smart’s acquisition will be enough to propel the Grizzlies to the top of the West is questionable. The champion Nuggets are returning most of their team intact, though they might lost valuable reserve Bruce Brown, who declined his $6.8 million player option last week and will become a free agent. However they will bring back the dominant one-two punch of NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, and are certainly the team to beat in the West. The Grizzlies have finished second in the conference two straight years, but the playoff wipeout by the Lakers convinced management they were a long way from being a title contender. The Smart trade is a good step towards closing that gap.
