Marcus Smart has been unhappy with the lack of communication from the Boston Celtics this offseason regarding his contract situation, but it sounds like the two sides are finally starting to make some progress.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Celtics are now “seriously engaged in contract talks” with Smart’s agent and are believed to be discussing a four-year deal.
Celtics GM Danny Ainge and Happy Walters, the agent for restricted free agent guard Marcus Smart, are now seriously engaged in contract talks, league sources tell ESPN. Potential deal range is in the four-year, $46M-$50M range, sources tell ESPN. Talks ongoing.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 18, 2018
Smart is a restricted free agent, and the Celtics have only offered him a one-year qualifying offer at this point. That gives them the right to match any offer sheet Smart might sign with another team, but he has yet to sign one.
Smart, 24, averaged 10.2 points and 4.8 assists per game last season, but his numbers hardly tell the entire story. He’s a scrappy defender who gives full effort every time he’s on the court, and those are the types of players teams need to compete for championships come playoff time. Despite his offensive inconsistencies, he is incredibly important to Boston’s success.
While there have been reports that Smart is disgusted with the Celtics, there aren’t a lot of teams with salary cap space this offseason. If he wants long-term security, he may have to lower his expectations a bit and sign an extension with Boston.
