Brad Stevens. Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Celtics' Brad Stevens addresses Marcus Smart trade, details post-trade interaction with guard

By Jeff Smith | Last updated Jun 23, 2023 9:21 AM ET

Although the Boston Celtics' trade to acquire Kristaps Porzingis and two draft picks has now snowballed into four future additional future selections and Arkansas rookie Jordan Walsh, the deal is still tough to swallow for many fans.

While the team's return haul was certainly impressive, Boston had to send a fan-favorite Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies in order to make it happen.

The responses from fans and analysts have been mixed, but it'll be tough to replace Smart's presence both on and off the floor for the Celtics. Less than one day after making the deal happen, Celtics president Brad Stevens addressed the media following the 2023 NBA Draft and revealed that he spoke to Smart at the team's facility on Thursday morning, a conversation that was "brief," as The Athletic's Jared Weiss revealed.

Stevens opened up on what he told Smart during the interaction, as Weiss first reported.

Brad Stevens on Marcus Smart: “I told him when he got here we were 25-57 the year before. And the greatest legacy you can leave is to be someplace and it’s better off because you were there. And I think that everybody here feels that way.”
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) June 23, 2023

Brad on Smart: “We’re all really grateful to have had Marcus in our life for as long as we’ve had & are sad to see him go, but know that he’s gonna have a huge impact on a really good Memphis team. So very difficult conversations, really hard to do. But he’ll always have Boston.”
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) June 23, 2023

The respect and admiration Stevens, the fans, beat writers and many others seem to have for Smart has been incredible to see. The outpouring of love for Smart following the news detailing the Celtics trade points directly to Stevens' comments on the impact he made on the franchise.

Jeff Smith

Jeff Smith has extensive experience as a sports writer and editor, including stops at ESPN, FOX Sports, CBS Sports, USA TODAY SMG, and Heavy. Jeff's passion for sports content starts and finishes with writing and he's grateful to be able to work in that field on a daily basis.

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