Proposed trade reveals sunken value of ex-Boston Celtics heart and soul

A proposed trade from Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley that'd swap Mitchell Robinson with the former heart and soul of the Boston Celtics, Marcus Smart, and three future first-round draft picks shows that the latter's trade value has sunken since joining a hapless Memphis Grizzlies squad.

Buckley's write-up revolved more around the New York Knicks' big man dilemma and why that could force their hand to deal Robinson than it did the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year Smart's potential impact in the Big Apple.

"If (the Knicks) are content with their options at center, they could move forward with this group and without the $27.3 million owed to Robinson for the next two seasons," Buckley prefaced before saying, "In return, they'd get Smart, a great head-of-the-snake stopper who could scratch their itch for additional playmaking, plus even more picks to move whenever their coveted star becomes available in a trade. Smart, it's worth noting, hasn't played since dislocating a finger in early January, but given his initial six-week timetable, he should presumably be nearing a return."

Marcus Smart had more value on the Boston Celtics than Mitchell Robinson ever did

Robinson has all the tools to be an elite big man, and has shown an adept ability to crash the boards and swat shots away en masse, but has had an injury-riddled career since his rookie year in 2018-19. The Chalmette, Louisiana product has missed less than 15 games in a season just once.

Meanwhile, Smart's finger injury feels like it's being held against him. Sure, Smart has had his own injury issues, but he's also been a driving force behind four runs to the Eastern Conference Finals and one to the Finals. He's more accomplished, offers far more value to a locker room, and is more dimensional on the offensive end.

At most, Robinson and Smart's defensive skillsets dictate identical trade value. But attaching three draft picks to the latter to land the former feels plain disrespectful to No. 36.