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Since the beginning of the summer, Danny Ainge has clearly pbaded the Boston Celtics' main goal in terms of free agency: the team wanted to re-sign Marcus Smart.
"Our priority remains the same," Ainge told reporters. Vegas Summer League a week ago. "Our priority is always Marcus in free will, and that's where we are."
Eight days later, the Celtics officially landed their man. Smart has agreed to a $ 52 million, four-year deal that will keep Smart in Boston for the foreseeable future.
"That's where I want to be, and I'm ready to put on a green jersey and work," said Smart in a statement. "I'm determined to help my teammates to offer another championship to best supporters in the world. "
How will this contract impact the Celtics' situation in the future? First, the dark details, thanks to the # Athlete Jared Weiss : Smart's deal is fully secured (a major acquisition for Smart and his agent), and he will follow the standard eight percent structure of the league to get to $ 52 million. This means that it will start around $ 11.6 million this season, reaching about $ 14.5 million in the last year.
This $ 11.6 million allows the Celtics to benefit from the tax this season relatively easily, if they want to follow this path. About $ 3.8 million on the luxury tax line, which means that the Celtics could (for example) tie a choice to Marcus Morris and trade against him. another team space to push back the tax on repeaters.
The return of the clock would have real motivations for the Celtics, who look at the double barrel charged with the next transactions of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Both Tatum and Brown have every reason to stay in Boston, but neither one nor the other is likely to take less than the max contract that they would order on the open market. (They should not either)
The Celtics chose not to put forward Smart's agreement, which could have given them flexibility on the road when his contract began to fall. But at this point, Boston's hat will almost certainly be blocked by Brown and Tatum, as well as Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, baduming both are still on the list. Add another contract for Horford, who had perhaps his best season so far at 31, and the bill could be staggering.
But the Celtics seem ready to pay as long as they win and the offers are reasonable. For a free agency this litigation, Smart's new contract is very fair for both parties. Happy Walters and Ainge are at the center between the three years / 10 million dollars of Andre Roberson (elite defender, essentially without offense) and the four years 84 million of Gary Harris (high-level perceived contributions) at both ends). For Smart's elite defense and solid play without any shooting, $ 52 million over four years seems like a reasonable deal.
Getting the full four year warranty was also a win for Smart. The free agent's market gave him exactly zero favors, and the Celtics would probably have liked to have a little insurance on the bottom. On the other end, Smart – whose intense play style lends itself to occasional injury – would like to know better that he will receive all the money owed him.
Frankly, the Celtics will not be particularly concerned about the lack of collateral. They may be subject to tax this year as needed (and they certainly could be), and they will definitely be a tax team anyway – smart or not smart.
And, as has been pointed out ad nauseam At this point, Smart's contract is not negative if the team has to trade it. Boston is not going to swing it on the market, but a trade Anthony Davis would need salaries to match if it came up. Given that some of Boston's best young players are cheap, Smart's $ 13,000,000 would be a big boost. "We hope to have an expensive price list," Ainge said in Celtics' departure interviews. "I think we have managed the payroll pretty well at this point and we know that there are some very important and difficult decisions to make in the future."
There are still a lot of these big decisions. The next speakers are Terry Rozier and Kyrie Irving, both of whom present distinct risks and challenges. But for today, the friendly and charismatic group of last year has remained intact.
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