The Boston Celtics need to sign Marcus Smart to an extension ASAP
Marcus Smart is the longest-tenured member of the Boston Celtics, and they need to find a way to sign him to an extension as soon as possible to keep him here.
Somehow, the Marcus Smart camp has not yet heard from Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics in terms of an extension. That is ridiculous.
Smart is going to have a breakout season in 2017-18, and the Celtics are going to want to keep him in green. They should sign him to an extension as soon as possible, early in the season.
Boston and Smart have until October 16th to agree to an extension, otherwise, he’ll become a restricted free agent after the season. Smart is entering his 4th NBA season, and he’s expected to be the Celtics best player off the bench. His defense has earned him tons of praise, and now it seems like his offense is ready to take off. Smart has clearly improved his jumper this offseason, and his 3-point shooting looks a whole lot better. Smart’s 20 to 25-pound weight loss could be a part of the reason he looks so much better this year.
Still though, Smart and his agent are waiting to hear from the Celtics.
"“Me and my agent haven’t heard anything from the Celtics. You’re seeing everybody else’s numbers and things like that, so we’re just kind of waiting.”"
Smart also noted that he wants to remain in Boston.
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Luckily for Smart, Boston loves him too. I think there would be a lot of Danny Ainge backlash if Smart somehow slips away after this season. They need to get a deal done.
Ainge has said that the two sides have had conversations, but they have not had formal negotiations.
"“I wouldn’t say we haven’t started talking. That doesn’t mean anything more than I’m not really going to talk any more about my negotiations with Marcus. Love Marcus. He’s having a great training camp. He had a great summer. I’m looking forward to the best year of his career.”"
Through three seasons in the NBA, Smart is averaging 10.6 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.9 rebounds off the bench in 28.4 minutes per game. Defensively, he’s one of the Celtics best with a 107.8 rating last season. For comparison, the NBA’s best last season was Draymond Green with a 98.9 rating. Smart is around players like Blake Griffin, Al Horford, James Harden, and Avery Bradley in terms of his defensive play.
With Bradley out of Boston, Marcus Smart will likely be the guy you see on players like John Wall in the playoffs.
Next: Marcus Smart ready to lead Celtics second unit
Danny Ainge should use the next 3 days to sign Marcus Smart to a long-term extension, no matter how much that costs. There are very few guards in the NBA that can lock onto an offensive star. Smart is one of those guys, and you can’t let him walk away from Boston. This guy has heart and grit, and that’ll be needed on this star-studded Celtics squad.