It was a difficult summer for Boston Celtics fans. They watched core members of the 2024 title team walk out the door this offseason. It went from hard to envision Al Horford playing for another franchise to difficult to see him sticking around. Sure enough, he's now on his way to the Golden State Warriors.
Unfortunately, the painful changes of scenery weren't limited to those who left the local club. Marcus Smart signed with the Los Angeles Lakers this summer.
Upon doing so, the fiery floor general, who was once the heart and soul of the Celtics, shared the reaction he is expecting when he returns to Boston in a purple and gold uniform.
"I'm expecting a lot of boos," said Smart at his introductory press conference in Los Angeles. "I'm expecting a lot of hate, and it's okay, I understand it."
The start of Marcus Smart's Lakers tenure will have to wait
Unfortunately, the 31-year-old guard is dealing with an Achilles injury. That limited what he could do on the first day of training camp with his new team.
Lakers coach JJ Redick says LeBron James , Gabe Vincent, Marcus Smart and Adou Thiero did not practice to open up training camp and are essentially day to day. The Lakers are being cautious with LeBron as he enters season No. 23 and slowly building him up to start opening night. pic.twitter.com/dw96WmWdRk
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) September 30, 2025
"Marcus is dealing with a little Achilles tendiopathy," said head coach JJ Redick on the heels of Los Angeles's first practice. "He's been in a slow ramp-up. He was a modified participant, nothing live today. We expect him to be fine by next week."
Speaking at media day, Smart expressed his excitement about returning to the spotlight as he joins the NBA's most glamorous franchise.
"I'm very excited to be here. I'm very excited to be back on the big stage," voiced the 11-year veteran. "These last two years have been rough from team to team. And then injuries compelled me from playing a lot of the time, so really this summer was just trying to get as healthy as I can.
"In the game of basketball, or any sport, it's hard to get back to 100 percent, but you try to get as close as you can, and that's the goal for me. It's definitely been a tough road, but being here, the comfort that I have, the way that this organization and my teammates have embraced me is definitely gonna help."
After playing in 39 games over two seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies and then appearing in 15 tilts with the Washington Wizards after arriving at the 2025 trade deadline, Smart is eager to prove himself again on a team with championship aspirations.
The former Defensive Player of the Year will make life easier for Luka Doncic on that end of the floor. He also gives Los Angeles another ball handler. That could create scoring opportunities for Doncic and LeBron James while taking some of the shot-creating burden off their plates, thanks to Smart's facilitating chops.
It's a combination that makes Smart a good fit with the Lakers, as painful as that is for Celtics fans. However, both sides will have to wait to see that play out on the court.