The Boston Celtics arguably changed their identity on Wednesday night when they reportedly traded away Marcus Smart — the heart and soul of the franchise.
Several NBA Insiders and writers have expressed their opinions one way or the other in the trade, but Skip Bayless ripped the Celtics saying they made a “big mistake” trading away their longest-tenured player.
“Celtics just made a big mistake, trading for a freakish talent with loser’s intangibles and giving up a leader with winner’s intangibles,” Bayless wrote on Twitter. “Marcus Smart, DPOY, was a big reason Boston made it to G6 of last yr’s Finals and G7 of this yr’s East finals. Trading Smart: dumb.”
Sending shockwaves across the league in a blockbuster three-team trade, the Celtics shipped out Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies and got back 7-foot-3 center Kristaps Porzingis from the Washington Wizards.
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Bayless didn’t stop by simply commenting on the trade itself. The TV personality took the opportunity to send a ricochet shot to Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks.
“Marcus Smart: true toughness. Dillon Brooks: fake toughness,” Bayless wrote.
Bayless must be referring to when Brooks called LeBron James “old” during the Grizzlies first-round loss of the NBA playoffs to the Los Angeles Lakers.
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The Grizzlies were reportedly looking for a “tough-minded” veteran, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“The Grizzlies have been searching for a tough-minded, playoff-tested veteran for that young roster — and landed him in Marcus Smart,” Wojnarowski wrote on Twitter.
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Featured image via Brian Fluharty/USA TODAY Sports Images
