Marcus Smart Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Hawks Rumors: Smart, Bogdanovic, Collins, Hunter, Ball

March 22nd, 2021 at 9:09am CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have expressed interest in Celtics guard Marcus Smart, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic. Smart, who is one of the NBA’s stronger perimeter defenders, would be a nice fit in Atlanta’s backcourt alongside Trae Young, but Boston’s appetite for trading Smart is unclear.

At 21-21, the Celtics have had a disappointing season, but they’re still a playoff team and Smart plays a key role for the club. Boston likely won’t simply trade him for picks or prospects, so any deal that sends him to Atlanta would likely have to include a player like John Collins or Bogdan Bogdanovic, as Jared Weiss and Sam Amick of The Athletic write.

Speaking of Bogdanovic, in addition to drawing interest from the Celtics, he’s being eyed by a few other teams as well. Charania adds the Warriors to the list of players with interest in Bogdanovic, while Weiss and Amick say the Clippers are also on that list.

Here’s more on the Hawks:

League sources with knowledge of the Hawks’ Collins trade discussions tell Weiss and Amick that there’s a “significant gulf” in how much Atlanta values the big man and how much teams are willing to give up for him. The fact that the Hawks only offered in the range of $90MM in extension talks last offseason has created the impression they wouldn’t go any higher than that this summer when Collins reaches restricted free agency, which isn’t the case.
According to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, the Hawks’ initial response to the Celtics‘ inquiries on Collins was to try to build a deal around Jaylen Brown, which was a non-starter for Boston.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe estimates that the odds of a Collins trade this week are only about 30%, given how highly the Hawks value him and how badly they want to make the postseason. It would be difficult for the club to find a fair deal without taking a step back in the short term.
Hawks wing De’Andre Hunter may return to action as soon as Monday night, sources tell Charania. Hunter has been sidelined since January 29 after undergoing meniscus surgery.
Charania confirms that the Hawks are among the teams expected to pursue Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball, which was first reported by Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer on Sunday.

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Barrett, Smart, Rose, Knicks

March 13th, 2021 at 1:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Raptors were severely short-handed prior to the All-Star break due to the league’s health and safety protocols and those issues will carry over to this weekend. Starters Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby, as well as Patrick McCaw and Malachi Flynn, won’t play against Charlotte on Saturday, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets. They’re also expected to miss Sunday’s game against Chicago.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Knicks guard RJ Barrett plans to play for Team Canada in the Olympic qualifying tournament this summer, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic tweets. Barrett is optimistic about Team Canada’s prospects. “We got an All-NBA team,” Barrett said.
Marcus Smart‘s return from a calf strain provides the Celtics with more offensive versatility, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic. The Celtics can now put four scorers on the floor who can create plays off the dribble. Smart also solves many of the team’s spacing issues with his hard cuts to the basket, Weiss adds.
The Knicks, who acquired Derrick Rose last month, will continue to look for upgrades before the trade deadline, coach Tom Thibodeau told Vorkunov and other media members. “I have a strong bias towards good players,” he said. “I know (the front office is) looking at all the possibilities. If something makes sense for us, we’ll do it.” Rose will miss the team’s game against the Thunder on Saturday due to the league’s health and safety protocols, Vorkunov tweets.

USA Basketball Expands Finalist List for Olympic Roster

March 11th, 2021 at 11:31am CST by Arthur Hill

Fifteen players have been added to the list of finalists for the U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team, USA Basketball announced today in a press release. The group will eventually be pared down to 12 players who will participate in the Olympic Games, which are set for July 23 to August 8 in Tokyo.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will serve as coach for the U.S. team, with Warriors coach Steve Kerr, Villanova coach Jay Wright and former Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce as his assistants.

No tryouts will be held this year. Instead, USA Basketball will choose the final roster by early summer. Training camp is scheduled to being in early July before the conclusion of the NBA playoffs.

“With the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics from 2020 to 2021, it’s important that we continue to remain flexible and consider all players who can contribute to our efforts to field the best USA team possible,” USA Basketball men’s national team managing director Jerry Colangelo said. “These additions we are announcing today will help ensure that we are doing that. Having a larger player pool than what we normally have is critical because of all of the uncertainties we face about availability. But for USA Basketball to receive the commitment of so many outstanding players remains an indicator of the great honor of representing your country means to these men.”

The new names under consideration are:

Jarrett Allen (Cavaliers)
Eric Gordon (Rockets)
Jerami Grant (Pistons)
Blake Griffin (Nets)
Jrue Holiday (Bucks)
DeAndre Jordan (Nets)
Zach LaVine (Bulls)
Julius Randle (Knicks)
Duncan Robinson (Heat)
Mitchell Robinson (Knicks)
Fred VanVleet (Raptors)
John Wall (Rockets)
Zion Williamson (Pelicans)
Christian Wood (Rockets)
Trae Young (Hawks)

Forty-two players remain from the original list, which was announced in February 2020:

Bam Adebayo (Heat)
LaMarcus Aldridge (Spurs)
Harrison Barnes (Kings)
Bradley Beal (Wizards)
Devin Booker (Suns)
Malcolm Brogdon (Pacers)
Jaylen Brown (Celtics)
Jimmy Butler (Heat)
Mike Conley (Jazz)
Stephen Curry (Warriors)
Anthony Davis (Lakers)
DeMar DeRozan (Spurs)
Andre Drummond (Cavaliers)
Kevin Durant (Nets)
Paul George (Clippers)
Draymond Green (Warriors)
James Harden (Nets)
Montrezl Harrell (Lakers)
Joe Harris (Nets)
Tobias Harris (76ers)
Gordon Hayward (Hornets)
Dwight Howard (Sixers)
Brandon Ingram (Pelicans)
Kyrie Irving (Nets)
LeBron James (Lakers)
Kyle Kuzma (Lakers)
Kawhi Leonard (Clippers)
Damian Lillard (Blazers)
Brook Lopez (Bucks)
Kevin Love (Cavaliers)
Kyle Lowry (Raptors)
JaVale McGee (Cavaliers)
Khris Middleton (Bucks)
Donovan Mitchell (Jazz)
Victor Oladipo (Rockets)
Chris Paul (Suns)
Mason Plumlee (Pistons)
Jayson Tatum (Celtics)
Myles Turner (Pacers)
Kemba Walker (Celtics)
Russell Westbrook (Wizards)
Derrick White (Spurs)

Two players removed from that list are Warriors guard Klay Thompson, who is out for the season with a torn Achilles tendon, and Celtics guard Marcus Smart. Sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic that Smart turned down an invitation because of injury concerns due to having a short offseason and playing late into consecutive seasons (Twitter link).

Celtics’ Marcus Smart Cleared To Return

March 10th, 2021 at 1:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Celtics guard Marcus Smart, who has been sidelined since January 30 due to a calf injury, has been cleared to return for Boston’s second-half opener on Thursday in Brooklyn, he said today (Twitter link via Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe).

As long as Smart avoids any setbacks before tomorrow night, he’ll be active vs. the Nets, though the plan is for him to be on a minutes restriction, as Tim Bontemps of ESPN tweets.

Prior to his injury, Smart was averaging career highs in points (13.1) and assists (6.1) per game to go along with his usual stout perimeter defense. He started all 17 games he played, though the Celtics were missing Kemba Walker or Jayson Tatum for many of those contests — we’ll have to wait to see if Smart is reinserted into Boston’s starting five.

The 19-17 Celtics had an up-and-down first half, dipping to two games below .500 before winning their last four games leading into the All-Star break. Now that they’re nearly fully healthy for the first time this season, they’ll be looking to make a second-half push and secure a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference.

According to head coach Brad Stevens, Romeo Langford is the only Celtic who is currently unavailable. It sounds as if Langford is ready to return from his wrist injury, but has been placed in the health and safety protocols, as Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston tweets.

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Smart, Thibodeau, Sixers, Rose

March 2nd, 2021 at 6:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There are positive signs that the Pistons–Raptors game in Tampa will be played on Wednesday but Toronto will have to go without three starters. Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby have been ruled out under the league’s health and safety protocols, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets. Malachi Flynn and Patrick McCaw will also be sidelined by the protocols. Jalen Harris and Donta Hall have been recalled from the G League bubble in Orlando, Lewenberg adds.

A majority of the coaching staff, including head coach Nick Nurse, will also miss the game, Tim Bontemps of ESPN tweets. Those coaches were placed under the protocols prior to the team’s game on Friday. Sergio Scariolo will once again run the team on Wednesday. The Raptors, who had their game against Chicago on Sunday postponed, were originally scheduled to face Detroit on Tuesday.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Marcus Smart is “getting a lot closer” to returning to action, according to Celtics coach Brad Stevens. Mark Murphy of the Boston Globe tweets that Smart will benefit from additional team practice time after the All-Star break. Smart has been out since January 30 due to a Grade 1 left calf strain.
Tom Thibodeau has established himself as a serious candidate for Coach of the Year in his first season with the Knicks, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Knicks players have been impressed with how hard the staff works and it has resulted in a winning record entering Tuesday’s game.
The Sixers have been given the go-ahead by the city of Philadelphia to bring back crowds in a limited capacity, the team tweets. The team will be allowed to have crowds at 15% capacity, or approximately 3,100 fans.
Knicks guard Derrick Rose missed the team’s game against San Antonio on Tuesday after being placed under the league’s health and safety protocols, the team’s PR department tweets.

Marcus Smart Unlikely To Return Before All-Star Break

February 21st, 2021 at 2:59pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Celtics guard Marcus Smart will miss more time than expected as he continues to recover from a Grade 1 left calf strain he suffered on January 30, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

When Smart was initially diagnosed, his projected recovery timeline was reportedly two or three weeks. Wojnarowski indicates that Smart now isn’t expected to return until after the upcoming All-Star break, which concludes on March 10. The hope is that he’ll be able to suit up for the start of the second half, Woj adds.

The defensive-oriented Smart is currently averaging 13.1 PPG on 39.4% shooting from the floor, 6.1 APG (a career high), 2.8 RPG and 1.8 SPG. The Celtics are 10-8 with Smart in the lineup and 5-6 without him this season.

Head coach Brad Stevens noted today that Smart traveled with the Celtics for their game against the Pelicans this afternoon and even engaged in “light on-court activities” with the club ahead of tip-off.

Celtics Notes: Ainge, Tatum, Smart, Hayward

February 16th, 2021 at 3:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge doesn’t think head coach Brad Stevens is to blame for the team’s underwhelming play so far this season, telling Dan Shaughnessy of The Boston Globe that he’d assign more responsibility to Boston’s players and to himself.

“We’re not playing with the passion that we need,” Ainge said. “I think that’s on the players. And the players on the team are on me.

“… This is a team that was put together by me,” he continued. “And we’re not playing with enough consistency and urgency, and it’s my job to look to see what we can do to improve the team, but that’s always much harder than improving from within.”

While Ainge stressed that “just changing faces” isn’t necessarily a way to upgrade a roster and improve a team’s outlook, he acknowledged that some roster changes may be necessary. The Celtics will look to avoid falling below .500 when they take a 13-13 record into a home game vs. Denver on Tuesday.

Here’s more out of Boston:

More than a month after he first tested positive for COVID-19, Jayson Tatum is still feeling the aftereffects of the virus, telling reporters on Tuesday that it “messes with your breathing a little bit,” according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “Just running up and down the court a few times, it’s easier to get out of breath or tired a lot faster,” Tatum said. “I’ve noticed that since I’ve had COVID. It’s just something I’m working on. It’s gotten better since the first game I played, but I still deal with it from time to time.”
When Marcus Smart was diagnosed with a calf strain at the end of January, the Celtics announced a projected two- or three-week recovery timeline. However, as Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe writes, it seems likely that Smart, who said on Friday that he’s still walking with a slight limp, will miss more time than that.
Having lost 10 of their last 15 games, the Celtics appear to be missing Gordon Hayward and could really use someone to fill the role he played last season, says Jared Weiss of The Athletic.

Atlantic Notes: Knox, Pelle, Shumpert, Raptors G League, Walker, Smart

February 1st, 2021 at 5:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kevin Knox‘s playing time has continued to diminish and his future with the Knicks organization is murkier than ever, Marc Berman of the New York Post notes. The 2018 lottery pick never left the bench for the first time this season on Sunday. New York might look to deal Knox or even send him to Orlando to get some floor time with the G League’s Westchester Knicks. Knox’s rookie contract is guaranteed through next season.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

The Nets signed Norvel Pelle and Iman Shumpert to non-guaranteed contracts to get up to the league minimum for roster spots but they may not last long, John Hollinger of The Athletic speculates. With luxury tax issues, the Nets might open up those spots again as soon as February 10, then make the necessary additions when 10-day contracts are allowed on February 23. They could continue similar roster maneuvers right up to the March trade deadline, Hollinger adds.
Raptors 905 GM Chad Sanders is awaiting to hear the quarantine protocols regarding the shuttling of players between NBA teams and the G League bubble in Orlando, Blake Murphy of The Athletic tweets. Two-way player Jalen Harris is already there but any additional assignments will hinge on those protocols, Murphy adds.
If the Celtics are truly going to contend for Eastern Conference supremacy this season, they’ll need more out of Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart, Mark Medina of USA Today opines. At least one of those guards has to develop into a more consistent threat to help out the duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Medina adds. Smart is currently sidelined by a calf strain.

Grade 1 Calf Strain For Marcus Smart

January 31st, 2021 at 1:27pm CST by Arthur Hill

1:27pm: Smart is now expected to miss two to three weeks with his left calf strain, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe tweets.

10:31am: Smart is expected to miss one to two weeks, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

8:56am: The Celtics are relieved this morning after finding out that guard Marcus Smart‘s injury is just a Grade 1 strain to his left calf, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Smart is expected to be sidelined for a while, sources tell Charania, but there were concerns that the injury was far worse.

Smart underwent an MRI this morning after hurting his leg in Saturday’s loss to the Lakers, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Smart landed awkwardly while pursuing a rebound in the fourth quarter and had to be helped off the court.

Smart didn’t appear to land on anyone’s foot, Bontemps adds, but he grabbed the back of his leg and fell to the ground in pain. He didn’t put any weight on the leg as he was taken to Boston’s locker room. The Celtics announced that he had a strained calf and wouldn’t return to the game.

“Yeah, everybody was concerned with his health,” Jaylen Brown said following the game. “And he just, trying to do our best to redirect that energy, because when one guy goes down, we’ve got to step up. Marcus is essential to our team, man — he’s been great. Whether the numbers show it or not, Marcus has been a leader on this team; he’s been somebody that has been looking to get guys the ball in the right spots, including me. So to have him go down in the middle of the game like that, definitely had everybody concerned. Hopefully, the MRI is negative and we get him and we can get some wins on the road.”

Smart, a first-team All-Defensive selection last season, has stepped up his offensive game this year. He came into Saturday’s game averaging 13.2 points and 6.0 assists, which are career-best marks in both categories.

An extended injury for Smart would have been difficult for the Celtics, who have played extended stretches without Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum. The team is already short-handed in the backcourt with rookie Payton Pritchard sidelined with an MCL sprain and Walker remaining on a minutes limit.

Draft Rumors: Warriors, Smart, Wolves, Thunder, Cavs, More

November 18th, 2020 at 6:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors and Celtics had some discussions about a deal that would have involved the No. 2 pick and guard Marcus Smart according to Matt Moore of ActionNetwork.com. Sources tell Moore that those talks didn’t ultimately gain traction and aren’t expected to resume after the Celtics rejected a counter-offer from Golden State.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirms that the Celtics called the Warriors to gauge their interest in moving the No. 2 pick and made Smart available, but talks “didn’t escalate.”

Here’s more on the draft as we prepare for what should be a fun night:

Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link) is hearing that the Timberwolves will likely remain at No. 1, barring a “blockbuster” move. However, it sounds like the No. 17 pick is still very much in play. Jeremy Woo of SI.com reports (via Twitter) that the Thunder are exploring a deal for the No. 17 pick.
Isaac Okoro is rising on the Cavaliers‘ board, according to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report (Twitter link), who says if Cleveland trades down to No. 8, it would likely hinge on the team’s ability to land Okoro at that spot.
The Clippers are looking to buy a second-round pick and/or trade up from No. 57, league sources tell Scotto.
The Suns could still trade down from No. 10 or use the pick in a deal for a veteran player, but they’re unlikely to move up, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7.