Smart was unique, on and off the court
New CBA has some nuggets
Marcus Smart eventually will receive his flowers in Boston. He’ll receive a video tribute when the Grizzlies play at TD Garden next season.
Yet, his sudden departure from the Celtics has to be acknowledged now, not months from now when the shock wears off. Smart spent nine seasons in Boston, was the sixth overall pick in 2014 and became an indispensable player because of his fiery style, fearlessness, and propensity for the big play when it was least expected.
Smart will move on as well, but Boston may not have a more unique player who endeared himself to the city. One of the more polarizing players of this Celtics generation is also one of the most rare.
“I grew up here, nine years here,” Smart said last week. “I’ve done stuff in the city to become more [of a fixture]. I built a special bond with the fans and the people of Boston. I don’t think there’s no place in Boston that I can’t go where I wouldn’t be welcomed and that speaks volumes.
“It’s definitely tough. I’m hearing it all the time from everybody. They’re devastated. The city is devastated. And I understand why, we grew up together. It’s definitely hard to say goodbye. I know talking to some of these fans, I definitely get emotional. They’re coming up to me and they’re bawling so I definitely have heard everybody is disappointed but it’s a business first. I love Boston but they decided to make a move that was best for the team and that’s all you can ask for.”
Smart actually said he’s looking forward to seeing how Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown emerge from his leadership shadow and become leaders of their own.
“It’s going to be fun for those guys,” Smart said. “It’s going to be challenging. It’s going to be ups and downs but that’s the beauty about growth and that’s another part of their game that they’re going to continue to evolve. Even though I won’t be a part of it, I’m still proud of those guys and can’t wait to see their growth. I’m excited to see the next steps they take in their games, not from a basketball point but a leadership role.”
Smart said he talked with all of his former teammates as well as his new teammates in Memphis. Tatum posted two tributes to Smart, each time promising they would reunite and play together again. That may not happen, but it was a testament to Smart’s impact on his teammates.
“The post that JT did was very emotional,” Smart said. “But for me, the last impression was just those fans. We gave it our all. We obviously didn’t stand up to the standards that we set for ourselves with our last series with the Heat when we lost in Game 7 at our place but the fans were still there rocking and at the time I didn’t know it would be my last game as a Boston Celtics. The impression that those fans left on me will always be remembered. I’m thankful to have that opportunity to be able to say I played for the Boston Celtics.”
Smart is sincere. He loved being a Celtic. There have been players in past years such as Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, or even Marcus Morris who truly enjoyed the Boston experience. They wanted to stay.
The day Smart returns will be emotional. The Celtics are the best team in the league at honoring past greats. This will be no different.
“I’ve been trying to wrap my head around everything else that’s going on with the wedding, moving, the flood, so my mind has been everywhere,” he said. “So I actually haven’t gotten a chance to think about what that day would be like coming back but I’m sure it will be emotional and I’m going to prepare for it.”
The Celtics didn’t win a title in Smart’s nine years, despite reaching the Eastern Conference finals five times. He said the past two years were the most frustrating with the NBA Finals loss to the Warriors, despite leading the series, 2-1, then blowing Game 7 of the Eastern finals at home in May against the Heat.
More than just Wembanyama
The Las Vegas Summer League kicked off Friday with the NBA debut of San Antonio wunderkind Victor Wembanyama, who faced off against No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller of Charlotte
in a sold-out Thomas & Mack Center. Although Wembanyama will draw most of the attention during this action-packed week of NBA events and the WNBA All-Star Game, there are other players to keep an eye on during this summer session.
E.J. Liddell, New Orleans: Root for Liddell. Major injuries usually don’t occur during summer league but Liddell, a rookie from Ohio State, tore his ACL during opening action last year and missed his entire first season. He just had his two-way contract transferred to a standard NBA contract and he’ll be looking to make a positive impression after a year of rehabilitation.
Brandon Miller, Charlotte: His performances at the California Classic in Sacramento were disappointing but the Hornets are looking for signs of development from Miller, who is likely going to come off the bench, depending on what happens with restricted freeagent forward P.J. Washington. Miller has franchise-cornerstone ability but has to get comfortable with the NBA game.
Scoot Henderson, Portland :If Damian Lillard has played his final game with the Trail Blazers, Henderson could have the opportunity to take over as franchise leader and this summer league could be the perfect stage to display his skill set. Henderson is an athletic point guard with a high upside and the Trail Blazers selected him third overall, a move that may have encouraged Lillard to demand a trade after the Blazers did not trade the pick for an established veteran.
Antoine Davis, Portland: Usually undrafted players wouldn’t make this list but Davis is no ordinary undrafted player. He led the nation in scoring last year at Detroit Mercy and came within 4 points of passing the great Pete Maravich for the NCAA’s all-time scoring record. Davis is 6 feet 1 inch and 165 pounds and fell off draft boards because he’ll be 25 by the time the NBA season begins. But he is a pure scorer who could use summer league as an opportunity to earn a two-way contract or training camp invitation.
Markquis Nowell, Toronto: The 5-8 spark plug point guard led Kansas State to the Elite Eight but NBA teams continue to disrespect the little guard (see, Thomas, Isaiah) and Nowell went undrafted. He was snatched up by the Raptors on a two-way contract and will get a chance to eventually fill the void left by Fred VanVleet, who signed with the Rockets. Nowell is New York City tough and should be an entertaining watch in Las Vegas.
Amari Bailey, Charlotte: The former UCLA product probably should have stayed in school for one more year, but he dropped to the 41st pick and has something to prove. Bailey’s game is reminiscent of former Celtic Avery Bradley, who came into the league as a plus defender but needed to refine his offensive game. Bailey provided some spark for the Hornets in the California Classic and will now make a bid for a two-way contract or roster spot with a strong showing in Las Vegas.
Jordan Walsh, Boston: The secondround pick agreed to a four-year deal Thursday and is a part of the Celtics’ future. A positive showing could gain him a standard NBA contract but more likely he’ll take a two-way contract. Walsh said his game was limited at Arkansas, but now he’ll have a chance to develop offensively and turn into the 3and-D player the Celtics envision.
The NBA released several important but possibly overlooked nuggets from the newly signed collective bargaining agreement that don’t involve the second apron. Celtics fans might be familiar with the second apron and the penalty attached to high spending.
Written in the CBA, “The Players Association will be permitted to passively invest on behalf of all players in private investment funds that invest in NBA teams, provided that [among other conditions] the Players Association’s investment in a fund may not exceed 5 percent of the committed capital of such fund.”
▪ The CBA will allow NBA players to invest in WNBA teams that are not owned or controlled by current NBA owners. “Each individual player can invest in only one Independent WNBA Team and a player’s investment cannot exceed 4 percent of the team. NBA players cannot collectively hold more than 8 percent of any Independent WNBA Team.”
▪ The CBA also will allow players to invest a small percentage in sports betting and fantasy companies.
“A player may hold a passive, noncontrolling interest in a sports betting or fantasy company [limited to less than 1 percent for a company that offers or facilitates NBA-related bets or contests].
“Endorsement. A player may participate in sports betting and fantasy endorsement that involves (i) general brand endorsement and/or (ii) endorsement of betting on non-NBA sports.”
▪ And the league and NBPA have agreed that players can invest in cannabis companies.
But players will not be allowed to promote the sale of cannabis.
“Players will continue to be prohibited from promoting marijuana companies, but a player may promote a company that makes products containing only CBD.”
▪ Marijuana has been removed from the “prohibited substances” list, a major breakthrough considering marijuana suspensions were common in the past generation.
“A team that has reason to believe one of its players is under the influence of marijuana or alcohol while engaged in NBA or team-related activities, or has a dependency issue involving marijuana or alcohol, may refer the player to a required evaluation treatment program.”
The CBA says the NBA can administer up to 1,925 random urine tests and the suspension time for violation of the anti-drug program has been reduced. Former NBA guards O.J. Mayo and Tyreke Evans were the last players to serve two-year suspensions.
“A player who is dismissed and disqualified under the Anti-Drug Program will be eligible to apply for reinstatement 12 months following his dismissal and disqualification [rather than 24 months]”
▪ The NBA also adjusted rules for draft eligibility, such as mandating players participate in the draft combine — the physical and interview portions — to be eligible for the draft. If prospects decline, they will not be eligible for that forthcoming draft.
Also, the NBA is attempting to use their self-created professional leagues — G-League Ignite and Overtime Elite — for more than one-year stints, allowing players to play multiple years without being draft eligible.
“A player will no longer be automatically eligible for the NBA Draft by virtue of rendering services to a non-NBA professional basketball team [e.g., G League Ignite]. Instead, such a player will be automatically eligible for an NBA Draft if he is or will be 22 years of age during the calendar year of the Draft.”
▪ The number of two-way contracts will be increased from two to three, allowing teams to keep players in the system instead of losing them to open two-way spots on other clubs. The Celtics were burned when they lost now NBA sharpshooter Max Strus to the Bulls because of a two-way contract crunch.
▪ Although the specifics of the new in-season tournament will be revealed this weekend, the CBA offers some details.
“There will be an annual In-Season Tournament starting with the 2023-24 season that will consist of two stages — a Group Stage and a Knockout Stage. All 30 teams will participate in the Group Stage, which will feature regular season games designated as tournament games, and based on performance in those games, eight teams will advance to a single elimination Knockout Stage where one team will be crowned the In-Season Tournament champion.”
▪ The NBA and NBPA also agreed for more contributions to funds for retired players and those who did not have long enough service time to be fully vested.
▪ And finally, players will receive increased playoff shares.
“The Playoff Pool for the 2023-24 season will increase by 15 percent and continue to grow annually thereafter at the rate of growth in the Salary Cap.”
Layups
The Magic had until July 4 to guarantee the contract of Bol Bol and passed, making him available to claim off waivers for his $2.2 million salary. Bol is an interesting prospect because he’s a 7-1 small forward with the ability to shoot from the perimeter and score in the paint. Bol has dealt with injuries and inconsistency in his career but enjoyed a strong stretch last season before losing time in Orlando when Jonathan Isaac returned from a two-year absence due to injury. The Magic also brought back Mo Wagner on a twoyear contract and are stacked in the front court. It’s apparent Bol is an NBA player but the question is whether he can carve out a consistent role. There will be a handful of teams willing to take a chance . . . The Suns did not wait for the free-agent market to dry to add quality players at lower salaries to fill their roster. Instead, they went after young talent who would sacrifice money to play for a championship contender. They signed former San Antonio forward Keita Bates-Diop (a Celtics free-agent target), former Portland center Drew Eubanks, ex-Sacramento forward Chimezie Metu and former Brooklyn swingman Yuta Watanabe. All are under 30 with the ability to help boost the bench and give Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal a break. The Suns could have perhaps gotten bigger gains but the free-agent market squeezed out quality players who would be relegated to accepting minimum deals. There are several quality free agents remaining, including Charlotte’s Kelly Oubre Jr. and Dallas’s Christian Wood but the Damian Lillard and James Harden situations are forcing teams to hold up on signing players, meaning the market could be brimming with good players seeking below-market deals . . . The Celtics remain open to trading Malcolm Brogdon and an NBA source said the guard is upset about being bandied about in trade talks, then expected to return to play a prominent role. The Celtics would be open to a Brogdon return but have to determine if they need to shed his salary to avoid the second apron. Before he was traded to the Mavericks, Grant Williams had been looking for an offer sheet from another club. July 6 was the first day teams could make a contract offer to restricted free agents. The Mavericks offered their mid-level exception to Portland swingman Matisse Thybulle but the Trail Blazers quickly matched.