Marcus Smart Traded to Memphis Grizzlies after Nine Seasons in Boston

After nine seasons in Boston, Marcus Smart will start anew in Memphis.

The Boston Celtics traded Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. The move is part of a three-team trade among Boston, Memphis and the Washington Wizards that also sees Kristaps Porzingis go from Washington to Boston. The Grizzlies are set to send a pair of first round picks to Boston as part of the deal for Smart, per Woj — one in this year’s draft and another in 2024.

The Celtics drafted Smart sixth overall in 2014 after the defensive-minded guard spent two seasons at Oklahoma State. In nine seasons with Boston, Smart averaged 10.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.6 steals a game. Smart is a three-time NBA Hustle Award winner — an award that has only been in circulation since 2017. He also won NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the 2021-22 season.

Smart is coming off a year where he started 61 games for the Celtics and averaged 11.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 6.3 assists (career high) and 1.5 steals a game. Boston was the 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, falling to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Grizzlies are in some turmoil, but they are a team with a ton of promise. Memphis was the 2 seed in the West but fell to LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. The Grizzlies are led by blossoming star Ja Morant, who has ran into off-the-court troubles. After showing a gun on a live stream Morant will be suspended for 25 games next season. It’s the second time such an incident has happened.

One of the top recruits in OSU basketball history, Smart played two seasons with the Cowboys, averaging 16.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.9 steals in 64 career games.

In his sophomore season, Smart had 557 points (25th most in program history), 148 assists (12th most in program history) and 89 steals (third most in program history). His 99 steals as a freshman are tied with Brooks Thompson for the most in a season in program history. His 188 career steals rank second in program history behind Byron Eaton, and Smart played only two seasons.