Marcus Smart Sums Up Why Celtics Didn’t Bring Back Isaiah Thomas

If the Celtics ever were going to reunite with Isaiah Thomas, last month seemed like the perfect opportunity to do it.

Following a slew of moves leading up to the NBA trade deadline, Boston ended up with five open roster spots. None of them went to Thomas, who admitted he was “frustrated” by the Celtics’ lack of interest in working together again.

Thomas crossed paths with his former team Wednesday night when the Celtics took down the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. Before the game, one of Thomas’ old teammates in Boston bluntly broke down the reality of the situation between the C’s and the two-time All-Star.

“I think everybody was disappointed,” Marcus Smart told reporters, per The Boston Globe. “But at the same time, we’ve got to be real right now: We’ve got a pretty young group who’s striving. Although bringing IT in would’ve been phenomenal, right now it’s a business and unfortunately they’ve got to make some hard decisions.”

Smart added: “We’ll always love IT. That’ll never change. This organization will always love him. I’m always going to love him. That’s my brother. I wish nothing but the best for him. Obviously, I wish I could still be playing with him, but I also understand why I’m not.”

Thomas sounds like he understands, too. And while the chances of him putting on a Celtics uniform again aren’t very promising, he’s made it clear he’ll always love Boston and its loyal fans.