Marcus Smart was asleep.
His summer was already a busy one, with youth camps scheduled back home in Flower Mound, Texas and Westford, Mass. He had a two-day Pro-Am set up in Stoughton. His new house, which had been dealing with flooding since January, was finally ready for Smart and his fiancee to move in ahead of their summer wedding.
The last thing he expected was a call from his agent, which happened to coincide with the leak hitting Twitter.
“It was definitely shocking,” Smart said in his first interview since being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. “Especially since the week before I was already told that we were good … there were no trade talks with me and I was good.”
Taking a break from the final day of his Pro-Am at the Dana Barros Basketball Club, Smart said many times that he has no hard feelings about the deal.
“I'm the first one to tell people you can't put personal with business, it just doesn't mix. And if you do, you’re just going to get hurt,” he said. But even so, and even though Smart had good conversations with Brad Stevens and Joe Mazzulla walking out the door, he wished there was one more talk before things went down this way.
“For me it was just a courtesy,” he said. “They probably already knew that they were thinking about trading. They had this trade in their back pocket just in case something else didn't happen. And for it’s just the simple fact, ‘hey, we're thinking about trading you, most likely will trade you just letting you know.' Thank you. I appreciate that.”
Despite the shocking nature of the deal, Smart says the Celtics should make whatever trade they need if they feel it makes their team better. His incredibly busy summer has now included trips to Memphis for a physical and to begin house-hunting, so he still hasn’t fully processed everything. But he is appreciative of the opportunity to still be on a good team.
“Right when I heard it, I was like ‘you know what, at least I'm going somewhere to a team that wants me and a team that I can compete,” Smart said. “We got a lot of great young players with the Grizzlies and I'm very excited. I love the way that they play,I love the culture, and just like here in Boston, I fit right in. It's right up my alley with the style of play and the mentality that they bring to the game.”
Smart, who will continue to wear 36 in Memphis, has already spoken to some of his new teammates. But it’s the conversations with his now former teammates that have carried him through this past week. He says he has communicated with all of his former Celtics teammates, even if a few haven't publicly posted anything on social media.
“Talking to those guys, it was hard,” he said. “It was hard, you know, just seeing the texts, hearing the guys' voices saying the goodbyes, reminiscing on the good times … I love those guys, they love me. We’re brothers.”
Smart made it clear that included Jaylen Brown, who did not post a goodbye, which led to enough rumors swirling that Smart felt the need to clear the air.
And even though some fans, especially on social media, are happy to see the Celtics move on from Smart, he says he’s feeling the love from fans and the city.
“I grew up here. Nine years here in the city,” he said. “I don't think there's no place in Boston that I can go where I wouldn't be welcomed. And that speaks volumes. It's definitely tough. I'm hearing it all the time from everybody. The fans every time I see them, they're devastated … Everybody's disappointed. But it's a business first. Boston will always be in my heart.”
Smart does have one obvious regret. Having gotten so close to a championship but not actually winning one is something that will never sit well with him. But at this moment, he’s more focused on the positive aspects of his time in Boston.
“The only thing I regret is we didn't get it when we had our chance when I was here, but other than that I've enjoyed my run,” he said. “Very thankful to the organization, to the city, to my teammates, for allowing me to be me and really taking me in … to be able to take me with everything I have, who I am and just allow me to be me, I say thank you.”
Smart hasn’t thought much beyond his immediate future, so he hasn’t envisioned what his return to Boston will be like sitting on the visitor’s bench. He knows it will be emotional, just like the camps and other events he maintained around Boston despite being traded. It’s been more than a week, but he’s still in town, showing up, and taking the opportunity to say thank you one more time.
“I love this team, I love this organization, I love the people, the fans and everybody,” Smart said. “The support I've always gotten from my nine years, I'm definitely going to miss it. But I'm excited and energetic to start my new chapter in my life with the Grizzlies.”'