Could the Golden State Warriors be interested in inquiring with the Boston Celtics about trading the No. 2 pick in the draft for Marcus Smart?
Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart was just named as one of the five members of the All NBA Defensive First Team. He is one of three players to have been named to the team for the second consecutive season. At this point, it’s well established that Smart is as good as it gets when it comes to defending the perimeter.
Couple his tenacity and dominance on the less glamorous end of the game with his relatively cheap $13 million cap figure, and there’s no wonder why there’s interest in Smart from all around the league.
One such team could be the Golden State Warriors. Blue Man Hoop’s Tony Pesta went even as far as saying that the Dubs could dangle the No. 2 pick to land the bulldog combo guard:
"Smart has been one of the Boston Celtics’ secret weapons for quite some time now but it’s possible he hits the trading block by next year’s deadline. The Celtics might choose to move away from Smart before he hits free agency in 2022 and demands more money. Boston would do this to maintain financial flexibility in their hopes to add another star to their core."
Now I will say Smart is an integral part of their core, and there really won’t be much hope for the Boston Celtics to sign an impact free agent in the near future due to Kemba Walker’s contract, Jaylen Brown’s extension set to kick in for 2020-21, and Jayson Tatum’s extension that will likely begin in 2021. So I’m not sure trading him to avoid giving him a raise to sign a star is a motivation for such a deal.
That aside, perhaps a high-end lottery pick on a cost-controlled contract could be a cost-saving measure that can give the Cs more lineup versatility, especially if they attempted to land a James Wiseman or Obi Toppin type.
What do you think Cs fans? Would you give up Smart to the Warriors for the No. 2 pick?
Let us know in the comments section!