Beloved Ex-Celtic Joins Lakers, Boston Loyalist Loses It

Passionate Boston Celtics fan and The Ringer’s founder, Bill Simmons, lost it when he learned about the latest move of their bitter arch-rivals Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers scored another major coup in what has been a solid offseason for the franchise after landing former NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart from the buyout market.

The signing of Smart, who started his career Celtics, was a tough pill to swallow for Simmons.

“Ahhhhhhh I’ve gone blind! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!,” Simmons posted on X, attached with the edited photo of Smart in a Lakers uniform.

Smart is joining the Lakers once he clears waivers after reaching a buyout with the rebuilding Washington Wizards, ESPN’s senior NBA insider Shams Charania reported on July 19. The three-time All-Defensive guard will sign a two-year, $11 million deal, with the second season a player option.

Smart is the latest former prominent Celtics player who switched to the Lakers, joining Rajon Rondo, Rick Fox, Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas.

According to Charania, the Lakers beat the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks in pursuit of Smart.

Lakers star Luka Doncic directly recruited Smart and made it clear to the former Celtic that he wanted to play with him, Charania added.

Marcus Smart’s Time in Boston

GettyMarcus Smart was a longtime pillar of the Boston Celtics.

Smart was the Celtics’ sixth overall pick in 2014. He was a pillar of the Celtics teams that reached the Eastern Conference Finals twice and the NBA Finals in 2022 during his nine seasons in Boston.

Smart embodied the Celtics’ grittiness during that era.

The hard-nosed guard was named the Defensive Player of the Year in 2022, the first guard to win the award after Gary Payton in the 1995-96 season. He was a three-time All-Defensive First Team while with the Celtics.

But Smart has been a shell of himself since the Celtics unceremoniously traded him in 2023 as part of the three-team deal that brought in Kristaps Porzingis.

Smart’s departure and Porzingis’ arrival led to the Celtics finally getting over the hump and winning their 18th NBA championship in 2024.

It was all downhill for Smart’s career since then as he became a journeyman, splitting his time in Memphis and Washington while navigating serious injuries. The 31-year-old guard has only appeared in 54 games over the last two seasons due to injuries.

After only appearing in 20 games in his first season with the Memphis Grizzlies, they cut bait when they shipped him to the Washington Wizards in a salary dump move at the trade deadline.

Smart would only see action for 15 games in the nation’s capital, averaging 9.3 points, 22.5 assists and 1.1 steals in 18.7 minutes off the bench.

Celtics Tear Down Championship Roster

Porzingis only lasted two seasons in Boston.

In the wake of Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury that will keep him out next season, the Celtics have shed big salaries in what is expected to be a gap year.

Porzingis was one of the casualties as the Celtics traded him to the Atlanta Hawks in a salary dump move. He isn’t the only Celtics’ core player who was traded this offseason.  He’s joined by Jrue Holiday and Luke Kornet. Veteran center Al Horford is also expected to depart as an unrestricted free agent.

Celtics president Brad Stevens confirmed this latest development during an interview in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas recently.

“It’s hard to see Jrue go. It’s hard to see Kristaps go, Luke, Al,” Stevens said. “And it’s just been unbelievable people to have in our group and have added value… I know when they come back to Boston this year, it’ll be pretty special, the tributes to all of them.”

The Celtics closed a chapter while Smart begins a new one with their bitter rivals.