'191': Grizzlies make splash with trade for Marcus Smart
The Memphis Grizzlies traded away Tyus Jones, the 25th pick, and a future 1st to acquire former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart in 3-team deal.
The Memphis Grizzlies made their big trade of the offseason. After the 3-team trade with the Washington Wizards, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Clippers fell apart, the Wizards and Celtics were determined to get Kristaps Porzingis in green alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Another team had to come in and save the day.
The trade rekindled around 10:50 PM CST, 10 minutes before Porzingis needed to make a decision on opting into his contract for next season. 5 minutes later, Adrian Wojnarowski tweets that it’ll be a three-way deal with the Memphis Grizzlies sending Tyus Jones to the Washington Wizards.
Suspense hit for several minutes… who was Memphis getting in the deal? Malcolm Brogdon, who was in the original 3-way trade? Derrick White? Deni Avdija from Washington?
4 minutes later, we had the answer: Marcus Smart. The 2021-22 Defensive Player of the Year was heading to Memphis, providing the playmaking and defense loss from Tyus Jones and Dillon Brooks — and giving this young team the veteran voice it desperately sought.
A lot of thoughts swirled around the Grizzlies’ big move, both sides of the spectrum, but it should be considered a massive success. Let’s unpack.
1 Question: What position will Marcus Smart play?
People have seen Marcus Smart run the “point guard” spot for the Boston Celtics, and immediately jumped to the conclusion that he’s a pure point guard incapable of playing many other positions.
The beauty of it all — Smart is a positionless basketball player. Though he’s 6’4”, his 6’9” wingspan and tenacious style of game help him play bigger than his height.
When dissecting the Grizzlies’ need for a 3, Marcus Smart was productive there with Boston. In his last season getting minutes at the 3 (2021-22), the Celtics blitzed teams by 23.3 points per 100 possessions with an offensive rating of 131.6, per Cleaning the Glass. Need more sample? The season before, 2020-21, the Celtics outscored opponents by +20.2 as the “small forward.” There’s only been a negative net rating with Smart at the 3 in his career — 2019-20 (the roster was atrocious) and his rookie season.
Marcus Smart’s defensive versatility also ranges, as he’s spent at least 12% of his time guarding each of the 5 positions, per The B-Ball Index.
Sure, the Grizzlies may still need a veteran wing, or they could roll with 1 of Ziaire Williams, David Roddy, or Jake LaRavia for 25 games. Maybe they could even go with Marcus Smart, Desmond Bane, and Luke Kennard — I’d be there no matter what. Regardless, there’s evidence that Smart can play a wing spot, and that’s huge for the Grizzlies’ closing lineups.
Also, we’re coming off a championship run where Bruce Brown — another 6’4” “combo guard” — served as a de facto wing. The only difference with Marcus Smart is the known fact that he was listed as the Celtics’ point guard. Would the narrative be different without that title? Perhaps.
Regardless, Smart’s game shouldn’t be defined by a position. Just put him on the court and let him cause chaos.
9 thoughts on the trade.
Let’s talk about the picks: The Grizzlies traded away the 25th pick and a top-4 protected Warriors pick in 2024. That didn’t sit right with others, but it’s all good, to be honest. Smart is an elite role player, and the cost for those players is steep. However, the 25th pick shouldn’t be one to fret over. The Warriors pick is one of the most puzzling assets out there — it could be 10 or 30, given the state of their franchise. The Grizzlies have plenty of young guys; they need more veterans. With the Stepien Rule, they have 7 first-round picks through 2030 at their disposal to move if needed. Their flexibility is still there. Also… what is Washington doing??? Why didn’t they get a first-round pick for trading the best player?
I’m thrilled that Tyus Jones will be a starting point guard somewhere. He’s proven to be a solid starting point guard that can orchestrate an offense and take care of the ball. With a youth movement on the way in Washington, he’s the perfect veteran to help the kids out.
My only thing that “worries” me is about playing the lineup of Ja, Bane, Luke Kennard with Marcus Smart. I expressed in a previous column that any trade pickup should fit alongside those 3. Can Marcus Smart’s positionless skillset scale alongside those 3 and Jaren Jackson Jr.? Can that work? I’m sure Taylor Jenkins would try it.
Oh, the 3-point shooting. Marcus Smart isn’t a lights-out shooting threat by any means — 34.2% from 3 on 5.4 attempts per game over the past 5 seasons. It’s not ideal by any means, but he’s someone defenses will have to close out on. In turn, that’ll open up different advantages as the defense shifts.
Coincidence: Marcus Smart is 29 years old, comes from the Boston Celtics, and went to Oklahoma State. Tony Allen signed with the Memphis Grizzlies at 29, came from Boston, and went to Oklahoma State. Is this destiny?
The Memphis Grizzlies have their guy to run the show for Ja Morant’s 25-game suspension, and they got someone who was the point guard for the league’s 2nd-best regular season team — a squad 1 win away from a consecutive NBA Finals. Smart has also averaged 6 assists per game over the last 3 seasons, which bodes well for someone to run the offense as an initiator and create in the secondary.
The Grizzlies also have their stopper. A lingering concern with letting Dillon Brooks walk was about who takes on the tough defensive assignments. For all his flaws, Brooks is still one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. However, the concern is alleviated with an upgrade, nabbing the 2021-22 Defensive Player of the Year — the first perimeter to win the award since 1995-96 when Gary Payton was the winner. Another difference with Smart is his ability to generate defensive events, averaging 1.6 steals per game for his career.
The Grizzlies have more playoff experience. Marcus Smart has gone through wars with the Celtics, as they’ve reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 5 of his 9 seasons with a Finals appearance sprinkled in there. It’s valuable to acquire a veteran with the amount of playoff experience as Smart, someone that’s gone through the postseason adversity as the young guy and as a veteran leader for a youthful squad trying to break through.
The Memphis Grizzlies are also getting Marcus Smart the person, who’s been an active member of his community. Read this wonderful profile from The Athletic on his work with local children’s hospitals in the Boston area.
1 big take: The Memphis Grizzlies got another veteran leader
The big narrative for the Memphis Grizzlies for most of the 2022-23 campaign was their need for veterans. The media often said the Grizzlies needed to grow up.
The Memphis Grizzlies got a guy fit for the job. Marcus Smart is the ultimate competitor — doing the dirty work defensively, diving on the floor for loose balls, and showing up in big moments in the postseason. In every way, Marcus Smart is on the short list of players that fit the “total Grizzly” bill, embodying the “grit and grind” ethos with this franchise.
He’s also going to be someone who isn’t afraid to speak up, someone who’s going to be looked upon as the veteran in the locker room. As Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. find their voices as the leaders of this team, Smart is another perfect player to lean on — a guy with experience with growing into a veteran alongside a young core.
Everything the Grizzlies do this offseason will be with the postseason in mind — whether it’s bringing in veterans with playoff experience, or acquiring players that can bolster the team’s halfcourt offense. They’re not getting that with the 25th pick or the Warriors 2024 pick, and the Grizzlies and Tyus Jones both needed a split so each of them could grow and progress.
With Marcus Smart, the Memphis Grizzlies are a better team, one poised to grow as a squad and to break through in the postseason.
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