Marcus Smart is worth more to the Boston Celtics in uniform than he is as a chip.
Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge Danny Ainge is unwilling to trade the young guard for a proverbial rental player who would leave after just a few months with the team, The Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett reported Wednesday, citing NBA sources.
Smart’s name has been in the rumor mill for months, but Ainge won’t jeopardize a potential run to the NBA Finals for the sake of trading the 23-year-old soon-to-be restricted free agent ahead of Thursday’s deadline.
Smart’s defensive ability and competitiveness are important factors in Boston’s success this season, and Ainge reportedly only will trade him for a player the team believes will be more helpful than Smart now, or an asset Ainge could flip for that type of player.
Bulpett’s report suggests the Celtics won’t trade Smart straight-up for Memphis Grizzlies guard Tyreke Evans or Los Angeles Clippers guard Lou Williams, who both will become free agents this summer.
With teams seemingly unwilling to offer a coveted first-round draft pick in exchange for Smart, the most likely scenario appears to be him remaining in Boston through the end of the season.
What happens after that is anyone’s guess.
UPDATE (1:40 p.m. ET): It appears a potential deal for Williams is off the table, anyway. The Clippers guard has agreed to a three-year contract extension with L.A., according to Yahoo! Sports’ Shams Charania.
