Marcus Smart Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Celtics Willing To Deal Marcus Smart For High Pick

June 25th, 2015 at 4:20pm CST by Zachary Links

4:20pm: The Pacers are a potential landing spot for Smart, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (on Twitter). Indiana owns the No. 11 pick.

2:06pm: There’s more and more buzz around the idea that the Celtics are willing to surrender guard Marcus Smart if it gets them into the upper reaches of the lottery, Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. On Wednesday, it was reported that the Celtics proposed a deal to the Sixers involving Smart to get the No. 3 pick, but were rebuffed.

Earlier today, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe heard that the C’s would have to be blown away in order to part with Smart. If the latest word is accurate, Boston sees a high draft pick as enough of a prize to part ways with the promising young guard. Smart, 21, averaged 7.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 3.1 APG in 27 minutes per contest in his rookie season.

The offer reportedly made to Philly would have seen Smart and the 16th and 28th picks in this year’s draft heading to the Sixers for Nerlens Noel and the No. 3 pick. Smart was a Second-Team All-Rookie pick in 2014/15.

Atlantic Rumors: Celtics, Smart, Nets

June 25th, 2015 at 12:13pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest from the Atlantic Division..

The Celtics have indicated that they “would have to be blown away” by an opportunity to move Marcus Smart, a source tells Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (on Twitter). Earlier this week it was reported that the Celtics were seeking Nerlens Noel in a deal for the guard. Smart and Noel were No. 6 overall picks in back-to-back years.
Nets GM Billy King told reporters there is a possibility the Nets could go into next season with Brook Lopez, Thaddeus Young, Joe Johnson, and Deron Williams all on the roster, Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com tweets.
When asked if Lopez and Young are max players, the Nets GM replied, “Next question,” according to Mazzeo (Twitter links).
One agent representing a fringe first-rounder the Sixers called for told Jake Fischer of SI (on Twitter) that he doesn’t want his client “to be the next K.J. McDaniels.” McDaniels was a high second round selection of the Sixers last year but wound up signing a one-year, minimum contract offer with them after a protracted contract battle. Later in the year, he was traded to the Rockets, and he’ll now hit free agency this summer.

Celtics Sought Nerlens Noel For Marcus Smart?

June 24th, 2015 at 10:05am CST by Chuck Myron

WEDNESDAY, 10:05am: The Celtics also offered Kelly Olynyk in the proposal, a league source tells Jake Fischer of SI Now (Twitter link). The offer included another Boston player, too, Fischer reported earlier (on Twitter).

TUESDAY, 11:13am: The Celtics were looking to trade Marcus Smart and the 16th and 28th picks in this year’s draft to the Sixers for Nerlens Noel and the No. 3 pick, but the Sixers were uninterested, league executives told Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. That the Sixers would turn away such a proposal is not altogether surprising, since Noel, a First-Team All Rookie selection, would seemingly have value that’s higher than or at least equal to that of Smart, a Second-Team All-Rookie pick. Plus, the Nos. 16 and 28 picks probably wouldn’t be nearly as coveted as the third pick would be. It’s unclear when the Celtics made their play.

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge confirmed to reporters today that he’s trying to move up with his pair of first-rounders, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald (Twitter link), though he didn’t make mention of any other component to Turner’s report. Ainge did say that no one on Boston’s roster is untouchable, tweets Herald scribe Mark Murphy. Boston has a pair of second-rounders, too, at Nos. 33 and 45, while the Sixers have their first-rounder at No. 3 and five second-round picks.

Smart and Noel were No. 6 overall picks in back-to-back years, and while Noel, a 2013 selection, sat out 2013/14 with injury, he’s one year closer to the end of his rookie scale contract than Smart is. That might have allowed the Celtics to believe they had a shot at obtaining Noel in such a package, though that’s just my speculation.

Wiggins, Mirotic, Noel Lead All-Rookie Teams

May 18th, 2015 at 1:11pm CST by Chuck Myron

Andrew Wiggins was a unanimous All-Rookie First-Team selection, the league announced as it revealed the media voting results for the honors. Nikola Mirotic was the second-leading vote-getter, followed by Nerlens Noel, Elfrid Payton and Jordan Clarkson, all of whom comprise the first team. Marcus Smart, Zach LaVine, Bojan Bogdanovic, Jusuf Nurkic and Langston Galloway make up the second team.

Wiggins far outpaced all other contenders for Rookie of the Year honors after averaging 16.9 points in 36.2 minutes per game this season for the Timberwolves, who acquired the 2014 No. 1 overall pick in the Kevin Love trade. Minnesota, which finished with the league’s worst record this season and has a 25% chance to win the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, is the only team to place two players on the All-Rookie teams, with LaVine on the second team despite having garnered 22 first-team votes. Every member of the second team received at least three first-team votes.

Payton, the 10th overall selection, is the only first-round pick from 2014 to appear on the first team. Mirotic was a draft-and-stash selection from 2011, Noel was the sixth overall pick in 2013 but qualified as a rookie this season because he sat out all of 2013/14 with injury, and Clarkson was the 46th pick last year, having gone overlooked through all of the first round and half of the second.

Galloway made the second team despite having gone undrafted and not having made his debut until January 7th, after he had signed a 10-day contract with the Knicks. New York followed up with another 10-day deal and finally a multiyear pact for the surprisingly effective point guard.

Atlantic Rumors: Celtics, Pierce, Lopez

May 4th, 2015 at 7:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics need to improve their interior defense and make smart draft choices to become a serious contender, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com opines. Comparing Boston’s current situation with the Warriors’ rise to prominence, Blakely believes the club needs to make a free agent signing that helps establish its identity, much like Golden State did two years ago when it locked up defensive-minded swingman Andre Iguodala. The Celtics could pin their hopes on Kelly Olynyk and Jared Sullinger becoming better defenders but they could also sign a proven interior defender in free agency this summer, Blakely continues. They also must continue to build through the draft as the Warriors did with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes, who have all outperformed their draft positions, Blakely points out. The Celtics’ lottery pick last season, Marcus Smart, has the potential to make a much bigger impact and he will be tutored this summer by assistant coach Darren Erman, who helped develop Thompson as a Warriors assistant, Blakely adds.

In other news around the Atlantic Division:

Paul Pierce would be just the type of veteran leader the Celtics need for their youth-laden roster, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Boston’s first-round playoff series against the Cavaliers might have played out differently if they had a confident, seasoned veteran like Pierce to give them guidance and confidence, Forsberg asserts. Some fans in Boston have wondered if Pierce might eventually return to the place where he started his career and won a championship in 2008, Forsberg continues. Pierce has made a major impact for the Wizards during this postseason and could get mid-level range offers if he leaves approximately $5.54MM on the table and opts out of his contract this summer, Forsberg adds.
Nets center Brook Lopez might be wise to seek two-year offers with an opt-out clause for a third season if he goes on the free agent market this summer, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com speculates (All four Twitter links). Lopez, who holds a player option on the final year of his contract this summer worth approximately $16.74MM, would then be eligible to return to free agency in the summer of 2017 when the salary cap is projected to reach $108MM, Mazzeo continues. That would not only protect him financially in case of an injury, it would maximize his value since the cap is expected to drop to $100MM the following season, Mazzeo adds.

Celtics Likely To Seek DeMarcus Cousins

May 1st, 2015 at 2:21pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:21pm: The Celtics have been enamored with Cousins for years, but Ranadive almost certainly wouldn’t approve a trade that sends him out, tweets Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee.

8:23am: The “early word” indicates that the Celtics will try to trade for DeMarcus Cousins this summer, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Indeed, the Celtics will likely be in the hunt for just about every marquee player who might become available in the months ahead, Stein writes, echoing comments that president of basketball operations Danny Ainge made Thursday. LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Monroe, Paul Millsap and Omer Asik are among the many free agents whom Boston is expected to make a run at, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com details. Reports conflicted about whether Boston made a run at trading for Cousins before the deadline.

A person familiar with Kings coach George Karl‘s thinking told Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck in February that the Kings didn’t rule out trading their All-Star center at the deadline, and Karl said last month that there were no untouchables on the roster. However, Vlade Divac, whom the Kings installed in March as the head of their basketball operations, is enamored with Cousins and wants the 24-year-old’s time in Sacramento to continue, and owner Vivek Ranadive has bristled at the assertion that Cousins is a trade candidate.

The Celtics have about $40MM in guaranteed salary for next season against a projected $67.1MM cap, but opening cap space would force the team to renounce its unmatched reserve of trade exceptions. None of them, even the one worth nearly $13MM left over from the Rajon Rondo trade, would be large enough to acquire Cousins and his max deal, though the exceptions could help the Celtics structure a larger-scale multiplayer deal involving Cousins or another star. Boston’s store of draft picks loom as significant trade assets, too, as Stein points out, and those won’t disappear if the Celtics decide to use cap space in July, unlike the trade exceptions.

The Celtics don’t have any player who’s truly off-limits for a trade either, according to Stein, though among the C’s under contract, Ainge has a particular soft spot for Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley, the ESPN scribe points out. Sources told Blakely that Smart and Tyler Zeller are the least likely players to leave Boston via trade, as we noted earlier. Ainge is also high on soon-to-be free agents Jae Crowder and Jonas Jerebko, Stein writes, as previous reports have indicated.

Eastern Notes: Hennigan, Celtics, Magic

April 30th, 2015 at 10:37pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With a large stockpile of draft picks, ample cap space, and the popularity of coach Brad Stevens around the league, the Celtics appear to be in a position to have a strong offseason, as well as possess a legitimate shot to lure a big name free agent to Boston, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. “We have to be a place where guys around the league will look at and say, ‘hey it can work to play in Boston, to play for Brad Stevens, play with those guys and play in front of those fans,’” co-owner Wyc Grousbeck told Blakely. “I think people are starting to take notice.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Multiple sources around the NBA told Blakely that the Celtics players who are most likely to garner trade interest this offseason are big men Kelly Olynyk and Jared Sullinger. The players who the team are least likely to deal are guard Marcus Smart and center Tyler Zeller, Blakely adds.
Magic GM Rob Hennigan‘s contract extension also includes a team option for the 2018/19 season, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel tweets.
The Thunder’s hiring of Billy Donovan helps the Magic in their own quest for a new head coach, Robbins writes in a separate article. With OKC now out of the coaching hunt, Orlando will now only have the Nuggets to compete with for available candidates, the Sentinel scribe notes.

Atlantic Notes: Casey, Celtics, Stevens

April 28th, 2015 at 6:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

As the Raptors evaluate coach Dwane Casey‘s job performance, one negative that stands out is the team’s poor defense, Scott Stinson of The National Post writes. Casey, who came to Toronto with the reputation as a defense specialist, places the blame on the team’s offensive woes after DeMar DeRozan injured his groin, Stinson notes. “Where I thought we got discombobulated was, after DeMar went down, our defense took a huge hit, and I take accountability for it,” Casey said. “We kind of got away from some of our defensive principles to hide some weaknesses that we had. Trying to make up for the lack of DeRozan, in other words, despite the team still winning, was creating other problems. That way lies chaos. You kind of get disheveled on the defensive end and you never recover from that.” GM Masai Ujiri hasn’t confirmed that Casey would be retained, though he did indicate that if he had decided against keeping the coach, he would have said so.

Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Despite being swept out of the playoffs by Cleveland in the first round, the Celtics laid the groundwork this season for future success, Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders writes. “We know we can compete with anybody in the NBA,” said mid-season pickup Isaiah Thomas. “People counted us out and we just kept fighting. We kept believing in ourselves, we kept coming to work every day with our hard hat on and working hard and doing the things that we can control. If we can do that in the summer, next training camp, next season, then we’ve got a bright future with this group of guys.”
Guiding Boston to the playoffs this season has proven that Celtics coach Brad Stevens belongs in the league, Ian Thomsen of NBA.com writes. “Where I feel much more comfortable is the understanding of 29 opponents, understanding the schedule, understanding the NBA and the game management,” Stevens said. “Those were all like knock-you-over experiences. Now I feel like I’ve got a handle on all that. Now it’s just about coaching this team as well as we can.“
The Celtics‘ abbreviated playoff run has shown that the team badly needs to add a star player, but also demonstrated that rookie Marcus Smart is a cornerstone who the franchise can build around, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald writes.

Atlantic Notes: Bradley, Thomas, Ish Smith

March 31st, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Multiple executives from other teams around the league are impressed with all of the trades that the Celtics have made the last two years, but there’s no grand design behind it, president of basketball operations Danny Ainge tells Grantland’s Zach Lowe.

“We don’t have any master plan,” Ainge says. “You just hope you have the assets when a deal comes along.”

Ainge pledges an active run in free agency this summer, though he believes some of the team’s existing players could grow into the sort of star-level performers who usually are among the top three players on a contender, as Lowe details. The Celtics love Marcus Smart, last year’s No. 6 overall pick, Lowe writes, and while multiple teams offered expiring deals and picks toward the back end of the first round for Avery Bradley, Ainge turned them away, several league sources tell Lowe. There’s more on the Celtics amid the latest from the Atlantic Division:

The Celtics think Isaiah Thomas is a better asset to trade than the protected 2016 first-round pick from Cleveland that they gave up to get him from the Suns at the deadline, according to Lowe. The C’s talked about waiting to do the Thomas deal to avoid winning too many games down the stretch this year, but decided against that, with Ainge informing coach Brad Stevens, whom he normally keeps in the loop, of the deal just an hour before it happened, as Lowe examines. “Ideally, he might have been someone you pick up in the summer,” Ainge said. “But someone else might trade for him. You might be in a bidding war. You have to move while the iron is hot.”
Nerlens Noel on Monday called Ish Smith “the first real point guard I’ve ever played with” and expressed a desire that Smith, a free agent at season’s end, return to the Sixers, notes Tom Moore of Calkins Media. Of course, Noel spent the first half of the season with reigning Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams at the point. In any case, Noel’s development has taken off since Smith arrived shortly after the deadline trade that sent Carter-Williams out, notes Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Daily News, who refers to the big man’s growth as the team’s most important mission this season.
Marc Berman of the New York Post wonders just what the Knicks‘ D-League coaching change Monday means for the future of assistant GM Allan Houston, once seemingly a GM-in-training. Houston’s duties with the NBA team had already been curtailed under Phil Jackson, Berman writes.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Aldemir, Smart

March 29th, 2015 at 8:47pm CST by Will Joseph

The Knicks were ranked last in the ESPN Forecast panel’s ranking of the league’s front offices. The management team of Phil Jackson and Steve Mills was ranked 29th; coach Derek Fisher was ranked 30th and owner James Dolan also came in at No. 30. Good times might be on the horizon, however, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes in his analysis of the panel’s rankings. The Knicks will have at least $25MM to spend and could have a high first-round pick in this year’s draft, Begley noted while also adding that things could also change because Dolan is a willing spender.

Here’s more on the Knicks and the Atlantic Division:

It would be unwise for the Knicks to sign Kevin Durant when the reigning MVP is expected to become an unrestricted free agent after next season, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News opines. Isola believes that acquiring the superstar would be a risk the Knicks cannot afford to take, especially after the Thunder announced Durant will need another surgery to repair a broken bone in his foot and will miss the rest of the season.
Furkan Aldemir, a native of Turkey who is in the first year of a four-year deal worth about $12MM with the Sixers, has struggled to adapt to life in the NBA, but is expected to get more playing time as the season winds down, Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Daily News writes. Aldemir, 23, has played in five straight games.
Clippers president of basketball operations and coach Doc Rivers is reminded of himself — albeit a better version, he said — when he watches Celtics rookie point guard Marcus Smart, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. “He’s a really good defensive player,” said Rivers, who played 13 seasons in the NBA. “On the ball, off the ball. Yet he’s making plays offensively. I like him a lot.”