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Post by FLCeltsFan on Aug 16, 2021 20:11:15 GMT -5
Boston Celtics and guard Marcus Smart have agreed to a contract extension. The new deal will see Smart paid $77 million over four years. The extension will have Smart under contract with Boston through 2025-26.
Smart’s extension includes a trade bonus, but has no options.
Yea!!!!
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Post by afceltic on Aug 16, 2021 20:22:24 GMT -5
He better get traded because that is a terrible contract.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Aug 16, 2021 22:53:46 GMT -5
My two takes:
Can be used in a trade package for Beal or some other Star who has a big contract (which means we won't have to add 3 or 4 players to make salaries match.
Or
Udoka and Brad really believe Smart is the right guy.
Now hear me out. Smart has asked Udoka to let him play the Point, and Udoka has said he'll let him. And we know Udoka is already stressing ball movement. Smart must know what Udoka is asking for -- to be a pass first PG who sets up the Jays, to lob the ball to Rob, and find the open shooters (Nesmith and Howzah), etc.
If Smart can be a 7-8 apg Point who limits his role on offensive and gives his all on defense, I'd take that.
And I'm sure they told Dennis Schroder that he's being looked at as a scoring punch off the bench, which was sorely needed for us. Schroder excelled in that role for OKC, and he was in the running for 6th Man of the Year.
I can see this working out nicely, at least for this season.
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Post by jrmzt on Aug 17, 2021 0:40:44 GMT -5
Could Schroeder and Smart exist in the same starting lineup? Smart in the 2 spot and Schroeder in the 1 spot? Perhaps Brown plays SF and Tatum at PF?
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Aug 17, 2021 1:51:32 GMT -5
This is a portion of what Brian Robb said in a write up on Masslive:
A trade or sign-and-trade was probably always going to be the more likely path to a player like Beal since Boston would have to give up several key supporting players (like Smart and Rob Williams) to clear the necessary cap room to sign Beal outright next summer.
Brad Stevens’ bet here is that if Beal decides he wants to come to Boston, Smart and/or the team’s other assets (draft picks and young players) will be the smarter way to acquire him rather than gutting the team around Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in order to re-sign him.
End
This signing doesn't necessrily mean Smart is here for the long term. We'll have to see how this shakes out.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Aug 17, 2021 1:54:32 GMT -5
Could Schroeder and Smart exist in the same starting lineup? Smart in the 2 spot and Schroeder in the 1 spot? Perhaps Brown plays SF and Tatum at PF? I've thought about this, and I don't think it would work as well as utilizing Schroder's scoring off the bench. We've lacked that element last season.
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Post by afceltic on Aug 17, 2021 5:58:12 GMT -5
My two takes: Can be used in a trade package for Beal or some other Star who has a big contract (which means we won't have to add 3 or 4 players to make salaries match. Or Udoka and Brad really believe Smart is the right guy. Now hear me out. Smart has asked Udoka to let him play the Point, and Udoka has said he'll let him. And we know Udoka is already stressing ball movement. Smart must know what Udoka is asking for -- to be a pass first PG who sets up the Jays, to lob the ball to Rob, and find the open shooters (Nesmith and Howzah), etc. If Smart can be a 7-8 apg Point who limits his role on offensive and gives his all on defense, I'd take that. And I'm sure they told Dennis Schroder that he's being looked at as a scoring punch off the bench, which was sorely needed for us. Schroder excelled in that role for OKC, and he was in the running for 6th Man of the Year. I can see this working out nicely, at least for this season. It has always been about "ifs" with Smart and they never pan out because he is a dumb player and has a misguided view of his offensive capabilities. He is what he is, no more "ifs" and what he is a player who needs to be wearing a different uniform.
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Post by jmost on Aug 17, 2021 6:20:31 GMT -5
DM: "If Smart can be a 7-8 apg Point who limits his role on offensive and gives his all on defense, I'd take that." Yeah, me too.
But, as the saying goes, "when someone shows you who they are, believe them". I'd love to believe that Smart can suddenly morph into the player you describe, but have we seen ANY growth in his decision-making abilities in all the years he's been here? About what is a good shot? Or who should take the big shots?
In my opinion, they'll give him the chance to run the point, but if he continues to operate as a shoot-first PG (who can't shoot) he's on his way on of town, either during this season or next summer. The extension makes him easier to trade.
I look at it this way: Brad is too smart to think that we can win with a Big 3 of JB, JT and Smart. And, we can't afford Beal or anyone other big star without losing either JB, JT or MULTIPLE young players - UNLESS we include Smart in a package.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Aug 17, 2021 9:29:21 GMT -5
I hear you, AF and JMost. Why I'm in a wait and see approach is because I want to see Udoka's effect.
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Post by jmost on Aug 17, 2021 9:46:54 GMT -5
It seems to me, reading between the lines, that one of the things Ime values most about Smart is that he takes some of the burden of guarding the other teams leading scorers (if they are wings) off of Tatum and Brown. But if anyone else can step forward into this role (Romeo? Nesmith? Begarin next year?), Smart's relative value drops. I really think (or is it just hope) that this is a short-term thing and then they trade him.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Aug 17, 2021 13:51:33 GMT -5
There is a championship caliber ROLE player (I want to stress that because he's no star player) in there -- Udoka just needs to bring it out of him.
Lots of people are saying Smart is the best passer on the team and he's got good IQ.
He's certainly improved in the passing department. When we drafted him, I did not like him as a PG because I questioned his abilities. But he hs improved here.
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Post by jmost on Aug 17, 2021 16:05:32 GMT -5
I don't think he's any better than the third best passer on the team, after Al and Robert, and IMO he makes way too many ill-advised passes. He's good at alley-oops off pick and rolls, but not much else.
If Smart's signing means we intend to keep him, it means the end of championship hopes in the Brown/Tatum era. And I say that because 1) we'll never have the cap room to sign a difference maker and 2) that means we are putting all of our eggs in the basket of Tatum and/or Brown becoming superstars, AND EVEN IF THEY DO, it won't stop Smart from taking way more shots than he should and that will kill us. Can you imagine the GS Warriors if Draymond had insisted on hoisting as many shots as Curry , Durant and Klay? That's what we're looking at.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Aug 17, 2021 16:35:52 GMT -5
I think one reason we signed him to an extension now is in the event that Beal wants out of Washington during the season (or sure to leave next summer), we'll be able to offer Smart, who will be have 4 years on his contract. WAS knows he's not a rental.
And with us getting the 17 mil TPE for Fournier, some folks are thinking we can take back Bertans (who WAS might be looking to dump).
Let's just say that the other shoe has not fallen with this Smart signing.
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Post by jmost on Aug 17, 2021 18:50:24 GMT -5
That's what I really want to believe. Marcus gets paid, so he can't be too upset, and we can use his contract to improve the team.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Aug 20, 2021 14:35:22 GMT -5
Only 3 or 4 teams are not over the cap, meaning most teams who will look to acquire a star player this upcoming season or next summer will need to do it by trade.
There's going to be a lot of bidding wars for players. Signing Smart now is a good idea cause we'll be ready to include him and his 17 mil 4 year contract in a trade package.
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