Marcus Smart on visiting the Celtics as a member of the Lakers
It is rare for a player to suit up for both the Lakers and Celtics during the course of his career, but Marcus Smart will become the latest to do so. On Tuesday, he officially signed a two-year, $11 million contract with L.A., and during his introductory press conference, he sounded like he was ready for the bad feelings Celtics fans will inevitably display when his new team visits Boston this coming season (h/t Heavy.com).
'I can try to anticipate it,' Smart told Spectrum SportsNet. 'I have no idea. But I can definitely tell and say that I'm expecting a lot of boos. I'm expecting a lot of hate. And that's okay. I understand it.'
The schedule for the 2025-26 season hasn't come out yet, but there may not be the same excitement for the Lakers' annual visit to TD Garden as there was in recent seasons. The Celtics, who won it all in 2024, jettisoned Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis this summer, and they appear to be starting a mini-reset after star forward Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles during the playoffs in May.
Smart spent his first nine seasons with the Celtics after he was the No. 6 pick in the 2014 draft. During that time, they rebuilt quickly after the end of the Kevin Garnett/Ray Allen/Paul Pierce era and were back in the Eastern Conference finals in 2017.
In all, Smart got to the Eastern Conference finals five times in his last seven seasons in Boston, and in 2022, he played in the NBA Finals. He will bring not only some high-level, versatile defense but also some resourceful playmaking and intensity to a Lakers team that badly needs those qualities from its non-stars.
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