According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, Ainge is prepared to ship out Marcus Smart if it nets the Celtics a top lottery pick:
"“Whispers getting louder that the Celtics are willing to surrender prized guard Marcus Smart if it gets them in upper reaches of lottery”"
Smart’s name has been popping up frequently in the rumor mill, primarily in connection to the Philadelphia 76ers. Danny Ainge’s alleged trade proposal yesterday, which included Smart and Olynyk for Nerlens Noel and the 76ers’ third pick, was extremely one-sided and thus, immediately rejected by 76ers’ GM Sam Hinkie. However, due to the sheer number of reports connecting the 76ers to the Celtics, it seems the two General Managers have at least been in steady contact with each other.
It appears both General Managers want something the other one has.
While the 76ers front court looks set right now, barring further Joel Embiid injuries, their immediate needs reside in their vacant back court. After trading away Michael Carter-Williams, Philly’s looking to address its point guard situation in this year’s draft. Their ideal takeaway would be D’Angelo Russell, who is almost-universally considered to be the best point guard in this year’s class.
However, since the Lakers refuse to outright endorse Okafor – whom most pundits have going second – the 76ers are worried LA will draft Russell with the second pick. Various insiders have connected Russell to LA, yet, it’s unclear if these reports are coming from unbiased reporters or LA’s front office, attempting to deceive the league. If this is indeed a smokescreen, it could be the Lakers trying to provoke the 76ers into swapping picks with them for a hefty price.
Los Angeles’ reluctance to commit to Okafor could also be the result of ongoing negotiations between the Lakers and the Sacramento Kings, which would bring Cousins to Los Angeles.
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If LA does select Russell, then Sam Hinkie will want to weigh his options, and at this point, the best option may be trading for Marcus Smart. If Russell is gone by the time Philly’s on the clock, the next-best point guard available will be Emmanuel Mudiay, who has the potential to be a star, yet after playing overseas in China, largely remains a mystery. With Smart, Hinkie knows he’d at least be getting an immensely talented defender whose already led his team to the playoffs in his first year.
Philly will most likely hold onto their third pick, at least for the time being. However, expect Danny Ainge to be the fist one to call Sam Hinkie if LA picks Russell. If the 76ers’ select Okafor, expect trade rumors to arise surrounding Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel.
Since Noel and Embiid are talented rim protectors – while Okafor is not – could the Celtics pry one of them away with their 16th pick and/or Smart?