Marcus Smart reveals what he would have done differently with Celtics trade

"So that’s what it was, (where) the hurt really came from.”

Marcus Smart returned to TD Garden as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday. (Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff)

February 4, 2024

3 minutes to read

It’s been almost eight months since the Celtics traded veteran stalwart Marcus Smart in a shocking, three-team swap that brought Kristaps Porzingis to Boston.

And while Smart’s anticipated return to TD Garden on Sunday was marked with outpourings of appreciation for the guard’s nine years of scrappy play, the Celtics’ fan favorite admitted that the sting of his surprise departure from Boston still bites at times.

During a pregame presser ahead of Sunday’s meeting between the Celtics and Grizzlies, Smart acknowledged that the NBA is a business — and that any player fixated on remaining with one team over the course of their career is due for a rude awakening.

But even though Smart had no qualms with Brad Stevens and the Celtics pulling off such a move, he did take umbrage with the fact that he was not informed about the trade until it had already gone down, he said.

“I understand business and I understand this business, and I tell people to this day if it was me I would make the same business decision as well,” Smart said. “All I ask was that they could have given me a heads up or just a simple, ‘Hey, being here nine years, we just want to let you know this is what’s going on.’ Perfect. At the end of the day I’m a businessman as well. So that’s what it was, (where) the hurt really came from.”

Smart has been upfront over the last few months about the adjustment time he needed after getting uprooted from the team he played with over the last nine seasons. Shortly after Boston pulled off the trade involving Smart and Porzingis, Smart reportedly expressed “complete shock” at the trade.

As the Celtics were reportedly working on a major trade for Porzingis in the days leading up to the Smart swap, several outlets reported that the Celtics were close to an agreement on a three-team trade with the Wizards and Clippers that would have landed Porzingis, but sent reigning Malcolm Brogdon to Los Angeles.

But later that night, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that talks revolving around that three-team deal had “fallen apart,” leading Boston to go back to the drawing board with the Wizards — and eventually leading to Smart getting thrown into the trade package.

Despite the trade, Smart said he harbors no disdain toward his former team and the Celtics players he spent years with.

“I was able to keep my mind off of it,” Smart said. “There’s no ill will towards the organization, towards my teammates, towards the coaching staff. I love everybody. And I’m thankful to have had an opportunity to play with those guys.”

Since that June trade, the Celtics and Grizzlies have found themselves on different paths. Boston entered Sunday’s game as one of the top title favorites in the NBA with a league-best 37-12 record.

The Grizzlies, meanwhile, have been hampered by injuries all season long. Despite drawing plenty of preseason hype following the addition of Smart to a stingy Memphis lineup, the Grizzlies are just 18-31 this year.

Smart has only played in 20 games so far this season, with the veteran guard sidelined since early January due to an injured finger.

While Smart admitted that it’s difficult to see his former team set its sights toward another promising playoff run, he added that he’ll be cheering on his former teammates later this spring.

“I mean, when you come that close and then you have to leave this. Anybody in this position would definitely — it would be hard to try to wrap your head around it,” Smart noted. “But at the end of the day, like I said, it doesn’t stop how I feel about good guys. And just as much as I think I deserve it, they deserve it as much as well. So that’s why I say I am ecstatic for those guys, because they work just as hard and they deserve it just as much as I do.”