How much is too much for Marcus Smart
By Patrick Nash
After a heartbreaking loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Boston Celtics are looking toward the offseason with a few tough decisions to make, and the Phoenix Suns can be the happy recipient of necessary roster changes.
The Boston Celtics came mere minutes away from making the NBA Finals without their two best players on their roster active. They still hold a stockpile of young player and draft picks that can be used to make upgrades still as well, and may find themselves at the heart of Kawhi Leonard trade talks.
To make such moves some tough decisions will have to be made on players that are currently solid contributors and otherwise fan favorites.
One of those decision revolves around the point guard position. All-star point guard Kyrie Irving is in full control of the starting spot once he is healthy. When Kyrie went down in March with a knee injury, 3rd year guard Terry Rozier filled the roll of starting PG and exceeded all expectations. But they still have backup guard Marcus Smart, a player who on many other teams could be a starter.
So, with Kyrie coming back and Rozier more than likely the backup point (plus Gordon Hayward returning and the potential for the addition of another ball dominant star), where does that leave Smart?
According to an article from ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan, Smart is looking to get between $12 – $14 million per year next year. In the same article it is reported that the Celtics may not be willing or able to afford Smart’s asking price. But what is Smart’s actual worth? If you ask Marcus Smart he’s worth more than the $12 – $14 million salary he’s looking for:
“To be honest, I’m worth more than 12-14 million,” Smart told ESPN. “Just for the things I do on the court that don’t show up on the stat sheet. You don’t find guys like that. I always leave everything on the court, every game. Tell me how many other players can say that.”
Everything he said about himself is true. His offensive stat lines aren’t that special.
Smart averaged 10.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game in 2017-18. His shooting percentages were 36.7/30.1/72.9 according to BASKETBALL REFERENCE. Those percentages are barely considered solid.
But what he brings on the defensive end is something special. If you watched the NBA playoffs this year, you had the chance to see Smart in action. He often guarded positions one through four throughout the playoffs. He gave LeBron James fits at times during their seven-game series. All while coming off the bench behind Rozier.
Financial Breakdown
For the 2017-18 NBA season, the Celtics were almost $16 million over the salary cap. For the 2018-19 season, the Celtics are already sitting at a little over $107 million (all cap figures provided by SPOTRAC). The salary cap is currently projected to be $101 million. That figure does not include the cap hold of their pick in the upcoming draft (which is $1,367,000 per REAL GM).
If the Celtics aren’t willing or able to offer the $12–$14 million Smart is asking for, the the Phoenix Suns should jump and make the offer themselves – although, they shouldn’t be willing to pay anything more than that.
Smart is a proven defender but yet to show the ability to be a legit starting point guard, specifically not showing the ability to be a primary distributor. But, he fits into the age range of the core group of Devin Booker, Josh Jackson and whoever they pick with in the draft.
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The Phoenix Suns are in desperate need of some defense. Adding a player like Smart would be a huge step in the right direction. Having a defensive-minded point guard would only help budding star Devin Booker. Smart and Jackson too would take the bulk of the pressure off of Booker by providing a bookend of defense around him.
The only thing left for the Suns to do is solidify the center spot either through the draft or with another free agent signing. Smart may not be the “flashy” signing but he would be the right signing for the right price.