The Boston Celtics saw their hopes of reuniting with Marcus Smart in free agency come crashing down on Saturday afternoon when it was reported that, after getting bought out by the Washington Wizards, he would sign a two-year, $11 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.
After trading Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers, Boston certainly could use some help in their backcourt, particularly when it comes to the defensive side of the ball. With that in mind, a potential reunion with Smart made sense, assuming he got bought out.
While the latter did happen, the Celtics appear to have swung and missed again in free agency this offseason. After reportedly making a strong push for Damian Lillard, they watched him reunite with the Trail Blazers earlier this week.
No such reunion happened for Smart, as he is instead joining Boston’s top rival. According to a recent report, though, the C’s may not have been all that interested in bringing Smart back to town, as they weren’t among the teams that Shams Charania of ESPN said “seriously pursued” the former Defensive Player of the Year.
“The Lakers, Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks all seriously pursued Smart, with positive conversations with personnel from all three teams after he and his agent Jason Glushon received permission to explore options from the Wizards, sources said,” Charania shared in a post on X.
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This doesn’t necessarily mean that the Celtics weren’t in on Smart, but when push came to shove, it doesn’t seem like they were a finalist for his signature, as his decision appears to have been between the Lakers, Phoenix Suns, and Milwaukee Bucks.
After spending the first nine seasons of his career in Boston, Smart was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of the Kristaps Porzingis deal. Injuries have largely hampered him over his two seasons away from the Celtics, as he played in just 54 combined games the past two years.
Now, Smart figures to feature prominently in L.A.’s backcourt as a defensive anchor alongside the offensive-minded Luka Doncic. In Boston, the C’s will have to pivot to other options, although it remains to be seen if they were ever a serious suitor for Smart.
