NBA Trade Rumors: Denver Nuggets Reportedly Eyeing Boston Celtics Guard Marcus Smart
Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart seems to be drawing a lot of interest ahead of the trade deadline on Thursday.
The New York Times' Marc Stein has reported that the Nuggets have had some exploratory conversations with the Celtics over a possible deal that would send Smart to Denver.
According to Stein, the Nuggets have made backup point guard Emmanuel Mudiay available in trade talks, but the Celtics are seeking a first-round draft pick in return for Smart. Apparently, they are hoping to flip that pick to acquire either Lou Williams or Tyreke Evans.
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ESPN's Zach Lowe also talked about this in his trade deadline primer. "Boston could try to flip Smart now instead of losing him for nothing. And given that whatever team trades for him would control Smart's free agency via matching rights, he's one of the few guys who might plausibly net a first-rounder," Lowe said in his report.
"Boston may want that extra pick to swap for someone like Evans or Williams. That would be paying very high -- probably too high for Boston's taste -- but trading a pick you get as part of a multistep contingency is not quite the same as trading from your preexisting stash," he continued.
Mudiay is actually an interesting return for Smart because he is an exciting young player with a bright future ahead of him. However, the Celtics cannot patiently wait for him to develop into a solid point guard because they are currently in "win-now" mode.
The Celtics would be better off adding someone who could help them immediately as they make a run for the title this year.
Smart is currently averaging 10.1 points, 4.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals while shooting 35.7 percent from the field, 29.9 percent from three-point range, and 73.6 percent from the free-throw line.
