Denver Nuggets star gives shout out to Marcus Smart after Memphis trade

Marcus Smart will be seeing the Denver Nuggets more often after he was traded by the Boston Celtics to the Memphis Grizzlies. Boston’s longtime heart and soul was stunningly sent to Memphis in a three-team trade that allowed the Celtics to get Kristaps Porzingis.

Jamal Murray, the Nuggets’ starting point guard, had this to say after the news of the trade settled in:

“Hope they show love to Marcus Smart in Boston. Not many play as hard as he do”

The majority of Boston Celtics fans were shocked by Brad Stevens’ decision to let go of Smart. He wasn’t always the best player on the floor, but fans knew he gave it everything he got.

Smart played his heart out every time he stepped on the floor. He wasn’t the most talented and the most physically gifted but he had the guts and character every NBA team wants on their roster.

A somber Stevens had this to say to the media about the trade:

“Really hard. I said this at the start of the summer that I thought we needed to balance our roster and looked at the best ways to do that. That meant that we’re gonna likely lose a really, really, good player.

“Marcus [Smart], as I told him, when we got here, we were 25-57 the year before. ‘The greatest legacy that you can leave is to be someplace that’s better off because you were there. Everybody here feels that way.’ I think that he will always be appreciated and thought of so fondly here for any number of reasons.

“We’re all really grateful to have had Marcus in our life for as long as we have.”

The Boston Celtics have not missed the playoffs in Marcus Smart’s nine years with the team. Boston went to the Eastern Conference Finals four times and the NBA Finals in 2022 with him in the lineup.

Over the last three years, Smart has made huge strides as a player. He became a better passer and playmaker once he got the starting point guard role after Kyrie Irving left the team in 2019. “Cobra” ultimately won the Defensive Player of the Year award during the 2021-22 season.

The Celtics gave the keys to the franchise to Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum after Irving’s departure. It was Marcus Smart who pushed them to be better passers and leaders. Behind Smart’s prodding and often tough love, both have elevated their games.

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Marcus Smart will turn the Memphis Grizzlies into an even more formidable defensive team

The Memphis Grizzlies desperately wanted a leader and a huge locker room presence, particularly with the 25-game suspension of Ja Morant. Marcus Smart provides all of that and more. He will hold everyone accountable, including the superstar point guard.

Smart’s presence will help the Grizzlies become an even better defensive unit. They already have Jaren Jackson Jr. and Steven Adams protecting the aim. “Cobra’s” work in the perimeter will only make it more difficult for opposing teams to score.

The Denver Nuggets are the favored team to repeat as champions. Along the way, Jamal Murray and his teammates may face a more organized Memphis Grizzlies team led by the player he just gave a shout-out to.

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