A max extension for Marcus Smart has been offered, and now the ball is in Smart’s court.
According to Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald, Marcus Smart, loved and trusted by most, is in negotiations with the Boston Celtics on a four-year extension.
Hear that the three-team trade (Bos.-ATL-Sac) will be announced soon, unchanged. … Celtics await a response from Smart agent Jason Glushon, but are said to be willing to extend him for roughly $17M over four years.
— Mark Murphy (@Murf56) August 6, 2021
According to former Suns executive Ryan McDonough, this is the framework of the most the Celtics can offer Smart in an extension:
The Celtics appear to be offering Smart the largest possible extension they can give him at the moment, per @Murf56
Here are some more details on the largest extension Smart could sign:
Starts in 2022-23
4 years, $77m total
$17.2m, $18.5m, $20m, $21.3m annual salaries https://t.co/rXwgtSX4zs
— Ryan McDonough (@McDNBA) August 6, 2021
Currently, Smart is entering the last year of a 4-year/$52M contract that he signed in the summer of 2018. The final year of that deal is worth $13,839,285, so a new deal worth roughly $77M total would have him under contract with the Celtics on essentially a five-year/$91M contract.
That is good value.
Marcus Smart is a first team All-Defense player from year to year as a premier backcourt defender. Additionally, he was the team’s best passer by a good margin, averaging a career-high 5.7 assists as the secondary (and sometimes tertiary) ball handler next to Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum. Smart also averaged a career-high 13.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals on 39.8% shooting from the field, 33% shooting from behind the 3-point line, and 79% from the free-throw line.
Smart changed his agent to Jason Glushon in the offseason – the same agent for Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Duncan Robinson and more.
The Celtics seem confident that this would not interfere with the overarching plan to cash in on the free agency class next year. Smart’s deal, if they’re looking to trade him for Bradley Beal, would work as tradable salary (either in a sign-and-trade or to another team into space looking for a PG). Extending Smart and Robert Williams wouldn’t shut the door on potential avenues of team improvement next summer in the way that signing other multi-year deals for other FAs this summer would.
Now the ball is in Smart’s court to see if he’ll except this raise.
(Oh, and it looks like the Tristan Thompson trade will be announced some time soon.)
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