Celtics reportedly could reunite with surprising player

The Boston Celtics may be turning back the clock to … two years ago.

A potential reunion between the Celtics and former guard Marcus Smart would not be off the table, NBA writer Jake Weinbach reported this week. The 31-year-old Smart is currently with the Washington Wizards but is looking like an odd man out amid the team’s rebuild.

Smart is a beloved ex-Celtic who was drafted by the team in in 2014 and played the first nine seasons of his NBA career in Boston. He was a three-time All-Defensive selection with the Celtics and won NBA Defensive Player of the Year 2022, also helping lead the team to multiple deep playoff runs.

But a reunion between Smart and Boston would still be a surprise. For one, Smart was unhappy about being traded by the Celtics in 2023 as part of the Kristaps Porzingis deal and sounded off on his displeasure. Smart is also still owed $21.6 million next season (albeit on an expiring contract), so Boston might not want to take that figure back.

Still, the Celtics do have the need at the guard position after recently trading Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers. Though that deal netted them Anfernee Simons (who is himself on a $27.7 million expiring contract), Boston stands to lose a lot on the defensive end with Simons as a starting guard.

Smart, who averaged 9.3 points and 2.5 assists in a meager 18.7 minutes per game last season for the Wizards, may potentially be a buyout candidate as well. As such, he appears to be an option in play for the Celtics, who could end up losing more of their current roster this offseason too.