Marcus Smart hopes to finalize a new contract with the Celtics when he and agent Happy Walters meet with the team later today, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. The agreement is expected to be in the range of $46-$50MM over four seasons, with reports yesterday that talks are “going in the right direction.”
Smart is one of top names remaining on the market after nearly three weeks of free agency. His restricted status has scared teams away from making an offer sheet because of the likelihood that the Celtics will match.
Smart has expressed frustration over the slowness of contract talks and a perceived lack of interest from Boston. There have been rumors that he was thinking about taking the Celtics’ $6.1MM qualifying offer and testing the market again as a free agent next summer.
The 24-year-old guard is among the NBA’s top perimeter defenders. He averaged 10.2 points per game last season and shot a career best .367 from the field.
They say Brad Stevens knows how to get the best system for each player. He’s the best analytical coach in the NBA. He’s perfect for Smart and vice versa. He may not be the best shooter in the NBA, but he has one of the best +/- in the NBA. I really like Stevens. Boston has the right combination of youth, veterans, and draft picks to dominate the east in the near term. Great coach. Great general manager. Now they are putting together All Star players like Golden State. That’s the Celtics way.
+/- is irrelevant, as it favors players in winning teams. Boston’s team is full of very good players, but a great team is based on a great player… Philly has got 2 of those, Boston none. In my opinion their best player right now is Horford, not a generational talent… So it should be a great time for Philly. Boston can be a close 2nd for the time being.
Philly has a one time all star who has been injured most of his career and can have his contract voided because of it. It has another potential all star who flat out can’t shoot, and that can be defended. Otherwise they have a bunch of role players, and Fultz has to prove himself first. In my opinion, and the opinion of MOST others is Kyrie is the Celts best player, and Hayward is a close 2nd. Horford is their best defensive player, Morris is good too. It has been said by experts that Tatum has the potential to be the best player in the league. Brown is a potential all star. Again, I disagree with your opinion. If +/- is irrelevant, why do they include it on “ALL” box scores and stat sheets? The Celts record was much better with Smart on the court than off.
Toronto will have to wait to see how Kawhi reacts and how the team chemistry goes.
Philly got hot when they acquired Ersan Illyasova and Marco Bellinelli last season. Two shooters. Outside J.J. Reddick, shooting is a concern. The Sixers still have questions.
From the people that matter and would know, Stevens is a top 5 coach. Ainge is a top 5 general manager. The people that would know have Boston and the Raptors at the top, Philly 3rd, and the Pacers/Wizards 4-5. ESPN covers this today.