- Celtics forward Marcus Morris needs to drops about seven pounds and work on his conditioning but he plans to play the regular-season opener, A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston reports. Morris missed a portion of training camp while on trial in Phoenix for an assault charge. He was acquitted.
Although fourth-year guard Marcus Smart has a strong desire to remain with the Celtics for the long term, he and agent Happy Walters have yet to hear from the team about a possible rookie scale extension, he tells Shams Charania of The Vertical.
Smart, the sixth overall pick in the 2014 draft, is extension-eligible for the first time this offseason. He and the Celtics will have until October 16 to work out an agreement. If the two sides don’t finalize a new deal, Smart would remain on track to become a restricted free agent during the summer of 2018.
Although Smart has provided solid defense during his three years with the Celtics, he continues to struggle with his offensive game. The 23-year-old averaged a career-high 10.6 PPG and 4.6 APG in 2016/17, but his .359 FG% and .283 3PT% were about in line with his unimpressive career rates.
Smart, who reportedly lost about 20 pounds during the offseason, will have an opportunity to claim a larger role in the Celtics’ rotation this year, with so much roster turnover taking place around him. Backcourt mate Avery Bradley is no longer in the picture, and neither is fellow defensive stopper Jae Crowder.
Deadlines often spur action, so the Celtics could reach out and engage in negotiations with Smart’s camp within the next week. The team no longer has to worry about paying Bradley or Isaiah Thomas in free agency next summer, and doesn’t project to have any cap room to pursue outside free agents, so it would make sense for the club to try to lock up its own players. For now though, it doesn’t look like an extension for Smart is imminent.
The Sixers had strong interest in Celtics rookie Jayson Tatum after landing the third pick in this year’s lottery, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Philadelphia sent a large group to Los Angeles to watch Tatum work out, and the Duke freshman’s talents on offense were obvious. “He had sort of a different type of NBA game where a lot of his workout was at that sort of Carmelo [Anthony] isolation, the 18-foot spot where he can turn and face and have a series of moves that we felt like actually could translate to the NBA,” said Sixers coach Brett Brown. “And then he started picking and popping and shooting NBA threes. But his offensive ability stood out, and the person stood out.”
Tatum had a sense that he was headed to Philadelphia, with Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball projected as the top picks. That was before the Sixers completed a trade to get the number one selection from Boston, a deal that Tatum knows will probably link him with Fultz for as long as they’re both in the NBA. “It’ll be interesting to see how things play out over the years,” Tatum said.
There’s more today out of Boston:
- There are several big name additions to the Celtics but one of the team’s wildcards this year could be backup point guard Terry Rozier, A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston writes. The reserve will see an opportunity to shine in light of the trade that sent Avery Bradley to the Pistons.
- Acquitted of felony assault charges, Celtics forward Marcus Morris is ready to join his new team, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald writes. Considering his experience in the league, Danny Ainge doesn’t anticipate an issue acclimating the veteran.
The Celtics have waived power forward Devin Williams, Jay King of Mass Live tweets.
The big man out of West Virginia signed a non-guaranteed training camp deal with the club in late September. With Williams out of the picture, the C’s drop down to 19 total players, 14 of whom remain on guaranteed deals.
Williams split time with the Hornets’ G League affiliate and Melbourne United of the Australian Basketball League last season.
- NBA general managers loved the Thunder‘s acquisition of Paul George. George received 59% of the vote for which offseason addition would make the biggest impact, easily beating out Jimmy Butler (17%), Chris Paul (10%), and Kyrie Irving (7%). Additionally, Oklahoma City was chosen as the team that made the best offseason moves, with 43% of the vote. The Celtics (25%), Timberwolves (14%), and Rockets (11%) were runners-up.
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- Celtics‘ guard Marcus Smart is aware of the massive deals players around the NBA are signing but he is focused on the season and not free agency. “It’s huge; it’s crazy,” Smart said to NBC Sports Boston’s A. Sherrod Blakely. “Those guys definitely deserve it. But like I said, that’s not my focus. I can’t control what those guys are getting. I can only control what I can control.”
An Arizona jury has found Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris – along with one other defendant – not guilty on counts of aggravated assault, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald (Twitter link). The Morris brothers were facing the possibility of probation or prison time for allegedly attacking a former acquaintance.
From a basketball perspective, a guilty verdict would have undoubtedly meant suspension time for each player. With a defendant-friendly verdict in the books, both players can head to their respective teams’ training camps and likely won’t have to worry about the league forcing them to miss time.
Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Twitter link) confirms that Marcus Morris is expected to head to Boston as soon as possible. The combo forward was traded to the Celtics in the offseason for Avery Bradley and he has yet to play in a game with his new teammates.
It’s unlikely Markieff Morris practices or plays for the Wizards this preseason as he recovers from sports hernia surgery. The power forward is targeting the second month of the season as a return date.
- In explaining why he was willing to include the Nets‘ 2018 first-round pick in his trade offer for Kyrie Irving, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said he felt he owed it to veterans like Gordon Hayward and Al Horford to cash in some of the club’s assets for a star (video link via CSNNE.com). Hayward and Horford have chosen Boston in free agency over the last two years, and are ready to contend for a spot in the Finals.
- Speaking of Irving, he’s among the new Celtics who are appreciative of the team’s philosophy on rest and recovery in between games, as Taylor C. Snow of Celtics.com details in an interesting piece.