Marcus Smart (Image Credits: Getty Images)
The next NBA season is quickly approaching, and all the teams are preparing hard to beat the 2024 NBA Champions in the upcoming season. Meanwhile, former Boston Celtics player Marcus Smart expressed regret over being traded before the Celtics clinched the title.
In a three-team deal, Tyus Jones was sent to Washington, Kristaps Porzingis was sent to the Celtics, and Smart was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in June 2023. At the Grizzlies media day, the 30-year-old point guard shared his thoughts on watching his former team win the championship last year during a recent interview.
“I was probably the most excited person for them..we went through a lot of battles, blood, sweat, and tears…I wish I would of been apart of it because I worked so hard but at the end of the day they deserved it.” Smart said during the media day.
Smart, who played college basketball for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, was selected by the Boston Celtics with the sixth overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft. He played nine seasons for the Celtics before being traded to the Grizzlies.
Marcus Smart Reflects On The Celtics’ Success With Mixed Emotions
The Boston Celtics thrilled their fans with several dominant performances in the last NBA season, earning a spot in the NBA playoffs. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum showcased their stellar skills and remarkable efforts in the postseason, ultimately securing the franchise’s 18th championship by defeating the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA finals.
While acknowledging the players’ contributions to the team’s success, Marcus Smart also expressed mixed emotions, describing it as a “bittersweet feeling” in an interview on the Run Your Race podcast in June 2024.
“It’s definitely tough because I was in the trenches with them, so to not be able to finish what you started with those guys is definitely tough,” Smart said.
It is probably difficult for Smart that the team he played for nine years has won the title after he was traded. However, the next NBA season will start soon, and the Grizzlies’ point guard, who believes that Kyrie Irving is a great teammate, will have a chance to clinch the title.
