Washington Wizards: 3 trade options before 2018 NBA Trade Deadline

Marcus Smart

The Boston Celtics are willing to part ways with Marcus Smart at the price of a first round pick, according to the New York Times‘ Marc Stein. This might be because they aren’t willing to pay him what they might need to when he becomes a restricted free agent this off season. ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski has also reported that they are trying to make a move for Tyreke Evans, who is also on the trade block.

It seems that Danny Ainge and the Celtics are always trying to collect assets, and while the asking price of a first round draft pick is high, a team like the Wizards might consider it.

Just last year at the trade deadline, Washington gave up its first round pick for Bojan Bogdanovic to help give them bench scoring for the playoffs. While Bogdanovic was a decent player who shot well, he became a free agent after half a season, leaving the Wizards to heavily regret giving up a pick for him.

So why would they do the same thing two years in a row with Marcus Smart? Because again, they are desperate for players who can contribute come playoff time. The reason this trade would be a little bit better is because they’d at least have a chance at re-signing him in the offseason when Smart becomes a restricted free agent.

The other factor is that Marcus Smart has been a big contributing factor in the playoffs with some clutch shooting and outstanding shut-down defense. He could be an amazing asset for the Wizards this year to help shut down some of the star offensive talents they’ll face in the playoffs, and he’s still only 23 years old. I don’t recommend any team give up a first-rounder lightly, but Smart could be incredibly helpful to this team.