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Boston Celtics: Competition will make signing Smart more difficult

By Joshua Bateman

CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 21: Marcus Smart #36 of the Boston Celtics walks off the court after being defeated by the Cleveland Cavaliers during Game Four of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on May 21, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 21: Marcus Smart #36 of the Boston Celtics walks off the court after being defeated by the Cleveland Cavaliers during Game Four of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on May 21, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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Looks like there will be competition for Marcus Smart on the open market

One of the biggest question marks about this offseason for the Boston Celtics is Marcus Smart. Smart has made it clear that he wants to be in Boston, and the Celtics understand how important he can be to their championship odds.

Both sides want to get a deal done, but it is never that simple. Smart wants to get paid the money he deserves, and the Celtics really do not have much money to play around with. One of the biggest factors is always going to be what other teams might offer Smart, and there more competition there is the more difficult it will get.

Chris Mannix recently reported that there will, in fact, be competition for Smart. At this point, what they are willing to offer is all that matters, but this means that Smart has other suitors.

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A lot of people will be scared off by Smart’s shooting, but there is no doubt that some teams will see the value in what he can offer. Mannix mentioned the Sacramento Kings, the Denver Nuggets and the Indiana Pacers.

Right now, it is still too early to know how serious they might be considering him. You can expect them to have some sort of offer for Smart, but this does not change much.

Everyone was expecting Smart to have some competition, or his price would easily be low enough for the Celtics to keep him around. If both the Celtics and Smart really do want a reunion, all this should do is extend the negotiations and perhaps get him a bit more money.

It is hard to imagine any team offering Smart significantly more than the Celtics would, but we have seen it in the past. You can look to Evan Turner as a great example of a player the Celtics valued, but all it took was one team to throw the massive contract at him.

The more teams that take serious interest in Smart raises the chances of one of them offering him something special. For now, however, the Celtics know that they cannot be low balling Smart and still expect to bring him back. Smart wants to be with the Celtics, but every player will have their limit.

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If the Celtics want to bring Smart back, it is going to have to be at market value. The problem is that people still cannot tell what his real value is on the open market, and once that is discovered as free agency starts, things could get really complicated for both sides.

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