Fresh off his first Finals appearance, Celtics guard Marcus Smart is excited for the on-court fit of the newly-acquired Malcolm Brogdon and recent free agency signing Danilo Gallinari, per Jay King of The Athletic.
“I love it,” Smart told Kang. “You’ve got two veteran guys who can feed off each other, who can rotate and help this team in multiple ways. I think it’s going to fit perfect. Not one of us will have all the pressure of running the team. We’re doing this together… Of course, we all know what Malcolm brings to the table, we know what Gallo brings. And it’s just exciting to add those guys.”
According to King, team president Brad Stevens, Smart’s head coach with Boston from 2014-21, talked to Smart about both new Celtics and about the team’s evolution during their shared tenures with the franchise.
Though Smart served as Boston’s starting point guard throughout the club’s 2022 playoff run, he’s not a traditional pass-first ball-handler. The scoring and passing touch of the 6’5″ Brogdon, who can play either guard spot and defend at a high level when healthy, could make him an excellent complement to Smart in Boston’s backcourt rotation.
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- As the Jazz field conversations with rival front offices for All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, the Sixers may actually reap some ancillary rewards, writes Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com. Should the Jazz continue to offload their older players, Neubeck notes that proven veteran Utah guards like Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley and Jordan Clarkson could be solid fits for Philadelphia as the team continues to build out its depth.
- Second-year Nets shooting guard Cam Thomas is prioritizing on his own Summer League development and not Brooklyn’s potential upcoming personnel turnover, specifically regarding the futures of All-Stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, writes Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “Anybody can get traded,” Thomas, the No. 27 pick out of LSU in 2021, acknowledged. “So, I try to stay away from them as much as I can, and just keep working on what the coach wants me to work on, even though that might change depending on who we have. I just want to keep working on what I’ve been working on, honestly.” Through four games in Las Vegas thus far, Thomas’s hard work has been paying off. He’s averaging 28.0 PPG, 3.8 APG, 1.8 RPG and 0.8 SPG.
- In case you missed it, we previously relayed the contract details for new Knicks Jalen Brunson, Mitchell Robinson, and Isaiah Hartenstein.
I don’t understand why teams don’t structure large contracts in descending order. It makes more sense.
Makes sense to have salaries rise with cap
Nah, cause of salaries are declining while cap is rising, you will then create cap space to sign a player at a time when players are getting older and need more help
@BloodFarts
It takes two to tango and I’m not sure if most agents would suggest it.
I think it makes sense for the team in some cases depending on cap space and what you want to do this year vs. the future. Psychologically, does it mess with a player’s head to play better and make less? We know players don’t mind cashing checks of any size when they are injured or “conscientious” objectors.
They probably would take home more, or the same, after taxes, actually.
Dear Knicks,
Please get this Donovan Mitchell trade done asap. So I can stop checking my phone every 15 mins around the clock. Thank you.
No way.
Just sign up for an alert or something
Good lord, Beverley with Embiid would be the best troll combo in the league
Maybe this off season Smart can get his head right and stop flopping and then not getting back on defense while he yells at the refs for not buying into his theatrics. We saw that all playoffs. Especially the finals. Yes, I also saw him draw some nice legitimate charges, but those were 1 for every 5 flops.
Can’t believe he won defensive player of the year with all that flopping and complaining. I think he and the Celtics would be much better off and play much better D if they dropped the whole flopping strategy. But it is cool that he’s publicly embracing Brogdon. Smart does have good leadership skills. I’m not just hating on him. I sincerely think him and the team suffered from the flop mentality in the finals. Don’t expect the refs to help you win games, that’s a horrible strategy/mindset. Especially when you actually have legit defensive talent.
You know how many times he’s been fined for flopping? Twice.
I actually was not aware of that, but makes sense.
@ BStevens
And? The only player that’s been fined for flopping more than Smart is Lance Stephenson.
The fact that the league ignores (and sadly, often rewards) flopping doesn’t change Lyman’s point in the slightest. All the Celtics flop. Which was why Poole giving Smart a dose of his own medicine in the finals was so funny.
Having a flopping strategy is pathetic
“a flopping strategy”
OK.
All players flop. To just say all the Celtics flop is just plain laughable
No man, it’s just the Celtics. They have a flopping strategy.
Only one of those players from Minn could be traded at a time right now for a Thybulle, Korkmaz, Shake package.
If it’s a Tobias package it can only be Clarkson, Bojan, and Gay.
Left off the part about Cam Thomas taking the most shot attempts per game of any Player in the summer league.
Which confirms he has been working on ” his ” game ahead of the ” team ” game.
At his height, 6-2, would like to see Cam develop some point guard skills. This is the environment to do so. Josh Giddey is averaging 8 assists per game in this summer league. Just sayin’.
You miss every shot you don’t take mentality.