After several weeks of virtually no contract talks, the Boston Celtics and guard Marcus Start are discussing a four-year deal worth between $46-50 million, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
A few days into free agency, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald cited a source and reported that Smart was "hurt and disgusted" by the lack of contract talks with the Celtics. Two weeks later, it looks like progress is finally being made.
The 24-year-old was drafted sixth-overall by the Celtics in 2014, and Smart has emerged as one of the NBA's premier defenders. With Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward missing the entire postseason, Smart stepped his game up and helped Boston reach the Eastern Conference Finals for a second straight year. They'd fall to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games, however.
Smart averaged 10.2 points and a career-high 4.8 assists per game in 2017-18. The knock against Smart was his woeful shooting (a career .360 field goal shooter and just .293 from three-point range). But Smart's strong defensive play was on notice throughout the regular season and in the playoffs, where he was often able to go up against LeBron James and slow down The King.
The Celtics were rumored to make a big splash this offseason, with many believing they'd offer a big package for San Antonio Spurs star, Kawhi Leonard. But GM Danny Ainge stayed away from that, and the Atlantic Division rival Toronto Raptors landed Leonard instead. As such, re-signing Smart may be Ainge's only notable offseason move.
But Boston will have a much busier summer in 2019. Irving and Al Horford could opt out of their contracts, while backup point guard Terry Rozier will also be in line for a handsome pay raise.
For now, re-signing Smart long-term was a must-do for the Celtics, and it looks like they're about to do so.