Marcus Smart on not reaching contract extension with Celtics: It's not a bad thing

CLEVELAND -- In wake of his first public appearance since failed to reach a contract extension, Marcus Smart did not show any frustration towards the team at Tuesday's shootaround at Quicken Loans Arena.

The Celtics and Smart reportedly dove deep into negotiations over the weekend but failed to bridge the gap before Monday's deadline. Smart will enter next offseason as a restricted free agent, giving the Celtics the ability to match any offer.

"We talked about it," Smart said. "Just, the numbers weren’t adding up, so we decided to decline the offer that was approached to us and we’ll take our chances in restricted free agency...We thought it was close from the fact that we didn’t ask for much. We didn’t ask for a max deal. We were going to take less money than what we probably are valued, and some other things, but they just weren’t budging."

Smart's planning on entering this season with some extra jump in his step after failing to wrap up some long-term security with the C's.

"It’s just as big a motivator as me playing well this year in general," Smart said. "It just makes it an even bigger year for me. Unfortunately, it’s the business. This won’t be the last time somebody is in this situation and just play it out and see how the year goes."

In the meantime, Smart isn't going to let his situation cast a shadow over his season as a whole. Instead, he sees it as an opportunity for himself down the road.

"That’s exactly how I’m looking at it," he explained. "I think that’s how every guy looks at it when they go into free agency. You make a lot more than what the team could have got me for now and locked me up. But that’s OK. It’s not a bad thing. Everybody’s making it out like ‘Oh, that’s a bad thing.’ It’s not a bad thing. Just hoping it’s gonna be a fun year and just play it out."

The Celtics will be facing a hefty luxury tax bill next year with or without Smart, but with Kyrie Irving due for another big contract at the end of the 2018-19 season, the Celtics wanted to keep their long-term payroll flexible for now since every dollar matters when the tax comes into play.

"That was the big issue. They weren’t willing to pay the luxury tax," Smart insisted. "We even gave them options of things where they wouldn’t have to pay or be so deep into the luxury tax, and they still wouldn’t budge."

After watching how Danny Ainge operated this summer though with his wheeling and dealing, Smart isn't surprised at all by how things played out.

"Not at all," he said. "They’re notoriously doing that. I think the last guy to get signed to a rookie extension was Rajon Rondo. I’m not surprised at all. It is what it is...I still love Boston, this team, this city. Like I said, it’s a better opportunity for me to make more money."