The Boston Celtics are one of the most storied franchises in all of sports, having the most NBA championships and continuous playoff success over the years.
With winning comes having to make sacrifices, as players get sent off to a different home through free agency or trades. It's hard to keep everyone happy, and the saying "The NBA is a business" has come to be more and more true every year.
Boston is just one win away from their second consecutive 60-win season and has already clinched the No.2 seed in the East. They have been one of the best teams in the league all season long, as only the Cavaliers and Thunder will have a better record heading into the playoffs.
While Boston is gearing up for their title defense, it's a good time to revisit some former Celtics who failed to make the playoffs with their new teams.
Marcus Smart, Wizards
The former fan favorite guard was dealt to the Wizards from the Grizzlies at this year's trade deadline, after being dealt from Boston to Memphis in the Kristaps Porzingis trade in June 2023.
Smart, the 2022 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, will miss the playoffs for the first time in his 11-year career. A midseason trade from the current 6-seed in the West to the worst team in the East ends Smarts' streak of playoff appearances.
After appearing in an NBA Finals and four Eastern Conference Finals with Boston, Smart had grown accustomed to winning and playing meaningful games. The Wizards haven't done much of that throughout the franchise's history, leaving Smart in two completely different situations over the span of less than two years.
The Wizards are 17-63 this season and are heavily involved in the "Tank for Cooper Flagg" sweepstakes. Washington dealt Kyle Kuzma and Jonas Valanciunas at the deadline as well, signaling they are all in on a fresh start.
For a guy who is as competitive as Smart is, it's hard to believe he'd want to stick around for a rebuild in Washington. He still has one year and roughly $21 million left on his contract and will become a free agent in 2026.
The 31-year-old was a buyout candidate after being dealt to Washington, but nothing came to fruition. The Celtics would not have been a suitor for Smart due to Boston being a second-apron team.
Smart is averaging nine points and a steal per game this season between Memphis and Washington. He still provides valuable defense and some scoring off the bench for the Wizards but is an obvious candidate to be on a new team next season due to the direction the Wizards are going and Smarts' contract situation.