Marcus Smart’s tenure with the Celtics came to an end this week. The former Defensive Player of the Year was dealt to the Grizzlies in a three-team trade.
It was previously reported that Smart was devastated by this trade. He apparently felt it was a “gut punch.”
On Friday afternoon, Smart finally broke his silence by releasing a lengthy statement on Twitter.
“Where do I even begin…as I start to think about the last 9 years I have a lot of emotions running thru me,” Smart wrote. “I came to Boston as a naive kid from Dallas not really knowing what to expect. All I knew was the type of work ethic my momma instilled in me and I was going to work my ass off and make sure I EARNED the respect of each and every one of the fans in Boston. Which is why this was tuff.
“Boston, you are a very special place to me. I grew up here and met some of my best friends here. I’ll never forget my time here. Ultimately we didn’t get that 18th banner but I’m VERY VERY proud of the success we had. I’m going to miss so many things about Boston but mainly my teammates, fans, and kids and our hospital charity work. It was a great 9 years Boston, thank you for all the love…but now it’s time to look forward.”
Smart finished off his statement by expressing his excitement about joining the Grizzlies.
Goodbyes are hard.
But the future is exciting. pic.twitter.com/hULgrVXkmi— marcus smart (@smart_MS3) June 23, 2023
During his extended stay in Boston, Smart averaged 10.6 points and 4.6 assists per game.
The Grizzlies will need Smart to lead their backcourt while Ja Morant serves his 25-game suspension.