Marcus Smart reveals how he found out about trade, addresses rumors of ‘beef’ with Jaylen Brown
"I just wanted to shut all rumors down now."
MORE NBA:
Marcus Smart was asleep when the Celtics dealt him to Memphis last month, and reports were already out on Twitter before he heard the news, he told reporters during an appearance at a Pro-An basketball game in Stoughton Sunday.
“My agent called my fiancé,” Smart said. “She woke me up out of a sleep, like literally I think right after the deal had been made and I think Shams (Charania, reporter for The Athletic) had tweeted it out. That’s how we found out. I went to the gym the next day, got my stuff, and talked to Brad (Stevens) and Joe (Mazzulla) and a couple of the guys that were there. It was definitely shocking to find out that way, especially because I was told the week before that I was good and there were no trade talks with me.”
Trading Smart was a backup plan for the Celtics. They were close to sending Malcolm Brogdon to Los Angeles in a three-team deal with Washington for Kristaps Porzingis. When talks fell apart with the Clippers, Boston found another trade partner in Memphis, who helped get the Porzingis deal done with Smart involved.
Smart said the Celtics could have let him know earlier that they were considering moving him, even though it wasn’t their initial preference.
“I understand the business side of it,” Smart said. “I’ve always been like that. Anyone who knows me knows that I tell people you can’t put business with personal, it just doesn’t mix. If you do, you’re just going to get yourself hurt. I understand it’s a business, but for me it was just the courtesy. They probably already knew they were thinking about trading. They had this trade in their back pocket.”
Despite the suddenness of the trade, Smart said he’s excited to see how the Celtics perform this season.He said every player on the team has either texted or called him since the deal was made. He also took a moment to clear up some rumors about him having issues with Jaylen Brown.
“It was going around that because JB didn’t post something like JT did (on social media) that we had beef,” Smart said. “Jayson and Jaylen are my brothers for life … We’ve been through a lot together. We’ve been through a fire. When my mom passed away, JB was actually one of the people on that plane that came to Dallas for the funeral. So, I just wanted to shut all rumors down now.”
Smart said he doesn’t have problems with any of the Celtics players, and in fact he still has love for them. He also said he built a special bond with Celtics fans, who left an impression on him after nine seasons with the team.
“For me, the lasting impression was just those fans,” Smart said. “We gave it our all. We didn’t do the standards that we set for ourself early, that last series with the Heat when we lost in Game 7, but those fans were still there rocking. At the time, I didn’t know that would be my last game as a Boston Celtic. But, the impression that those fans left on me will always be remembered.”
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com