Boston Celtics player No. 2) Marcus Smart
Despite the fact that Marcus Smart has been viewed by the majority of the fanbase as the heart and soul of Boston Celtics basketball for the large majority of his career, over the past several years the rumor mill has seemingly always had the combo guard listed as a player in which the franchise could look to offload.
Even this past offseason, the buzz was that Brad Stevens had grown “frustrated” with the seventh-year veteran and, in turn, was mulling over the possibility of trading him prior to the regular season.
Now, if the fact that the 27-year-old received a four-year, $77.1 million extension this summer wasn’t enough to have you convinced that these rumblings have been put on hold, perhaps the fact that we’re only a day away from the team’s season tip-off and Smart is still in tow may have you believe it.
That said, though it’s rather obvious that talks about a potential Marcus Smart trade have died down since early summer, this does not mean that one must assume they are officially dead.
Already during this preseason we’ve seen the veteran get suspended for the team’s finale against the Miami Heat which, obviously, is not a good start to his newly acquired gig serving as the team’s unquestioned starting point guard.
Should he follow this unfortunate situation up with uninspiring production, or even if he’s playing well but the team as a whole struggles, it could only be a matter of time before we begin to hear his name once again being mentioned within the trade rumor mill.
Arguably the Boston Celtics player under the most pressure heading into this season, it seems as though a lot of things have to go Marcus Smart’s way throughout the year in order to keep him safe from being brought up on the chopping block.