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Offseason Report Card: Celtics get four Bs, a C and an F for offseason moves

By Josh Cornelissen

Jaylen Brown has not said a word about Marcus Smart being traded by the Boston Celtics -- but what is the reasoning for the silence from Brown? (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
Jaylen Brown has not said a word about Marcus Smart being traded by the Boston Celtics -- but what is the reasoning for the silence from Brown? (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /
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Boston Celtics
In a trade that spanned one full afternoon, the Boston Celtics acquired Kristaps Porzingis for Malcolm Brogdon — but what does that do for the C’s? Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Traded Marcus Smart for Kristaps Porzingis

Traded Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies, Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala to the Washinton Wizards; received Kristaps Porzingis, two first-round picks

The Celtics were not a great offense in the halfcourt last season, and especially not in the halfcourt. Their large volume of shooting left them with high-variance outcomes, and they weren’t able to consistently develop a counter punch.

That’s the biggest theory of the case for the blockbuster trade to add Kristaps Porzingis. The Latvian big man had a bounceback season with the Washington Wizards last season, putting up probably the best season of his career as a scorer at all three levels and a solid rim-protecting center. The Celtics bought low on adding an All-Star talent to the roster, and then signed him to a two-year extension to keep him around for the next three seasons.

The on-paper value may have been there, but the emotional cost is hard to weigh. The Celtics traded the heart and soul of their team, the longest-tenured Celtics player and leader of their defense. Were they right to move off of Marcus Smart before his decline became significant? Or will they regret moving a franchise icon for an injury-plagued big who has clashed with co-stars when he isn’t getting enough touches?

There is a lot of downside to this deal as the Celtics reconfigure their defensive scheme (Pozingis is a monster protecting the rim and helpless switching onto the perimeter) and it only further weakened their ball-handling, a real concern. It also has a ton of upside, giving the Celtics another offensive star and adding a pair of first-round picks as ammunition to upgrade the roster elsewhere.

Grade: B+