Brad Stevens explains why Celtics traded Marcus Smart

The Boston Celtics made one of the most surprising trades of the NBA offsesason. Landing Kristaps Porzingis seemed like a deal they should’ve done any day of the week, but giving up Marcus Smart was a major blow.

The former lottery pick had become a mainstay at the TD Garden. He survived countless trade rumors and was the heart and soul of the team since he joined the organization.

That’s why Brad Stevens took some time to explain why he sent him to the Memphis Grizzlies, talking about how having Porzingis there will give their frontcourt much more versatility.

Brad Stevens Explains Why He Traded For Kristaps Porzingis

“The part that was very obvious was he’s 7-foot-3. He can play the 5 and the 4 and he can play with any of our 5’s and 4’s which I think is important,” Stevens explained. “If you bring in someone who is just a center, it’s hard to play them and Rob together.”

“But if you bring in someone with the skills that Kristaps has, that has the skillset that Al has, you can mix and match a little bit,” he continued. “You can stay bigger longer. That’s something we couldn’t do as much last year with our smaller groups because a lot of our best players were guards.”

see also

Marcus Smart takes a shot at the Celtics

Porzingis is obvilusly more gifted than Smart on the offensive end of the floor, but he’s injury-prone, and not the leader Smart is. This could either be the move that takes them over the hump or a huge mistake, and only time will tell.