One interesting nugget to trickle out amid the trade rumors linking the Boston Celtics to Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant involves Marcus Smart.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Monday, citing sources, the Nets asked the Celtics to include Smart along with Jaylen Brown, draft picks and potentially one more rotation player in any proposal for Durant but that Boston is “less inclined” to meet that demand.
Shannon Sharpe can’t understand why.
While Smart is the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year, plus a locker-room leader as the longest-tenured member of the Celtics, Sharpe would have no problem including him in a trade for Durant.
“If I’m Boston, I’m not going to let Marcus Smart hold this deal up,” Sharpe said Monday on FS1’s “Undisputed.” “Because I do believe that while they’ll be a little worse defensively, I think they’ll be better offensively. So now you’ve got wings of Jayson Tatum and Kevin Durant. You still keep your rim protector in Robert Williams. You still got a jack who can do a lot of things in Al Horford. And you’ve got (Malcolm) Brogdon who you brought in to really man the point.
” … I understand Marcus Smart was the Defensive Player of the Year. He’s a 28-year-old. He’s a very good player. But I’m not going to let him hold this deal up. I’m sorry, I’m not. So if it’s going to take Jaylen Brown, if it’s going to take Marcus Smart, if it’s going to take three first-round picks and possibly pick-swaps and another rotational player — is that going to be Grant Williams? Possibly. Is it going to be Derrick White? Possibly. But I’m sorry, I’m not letting Marcus Smart hold this deal up if I’ve got an opportunity to get Kevin Durant.”
The Celtics’ reported willingness to include Brown as the centerpiece of a package for Durant ultimately could be a game-changer. Brown, a first-time All-Star in the 2020-21 season, is an excellent two-way player who will turn just 26 in October. He’s the perfect asset to target if you’re the Nets.
But whether the Celtics dangle Smart could go a long way toward determining the extent of the negotiations between Boston and Brooklyn. The Nets seemingly have been asking for a king’s ransom since Durant’s trade request leaked. Why stop now?
“And this is a Kevin Durant special: If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em,” Sharpe added of the Celtics rumors. “This has got ‘KD’ written all over this one.”
