After long-awaited speculation about Marcus Smart's status with the Memphis Grizzlies stemming from trade talk dating back to last summer, the team traded him before the buzzer sounded on the NBA trade deadline. The trade wasn't what the Grizzlies fanbase expected in terms of what was received back as the team had bigger deals in mind.
However, Smart's tenure was injury-ravaged, including him returning from a 21-game absence the night before the trade deadline. He returned from an index finger tear to score 0 points on 0-6 shooting against the Toronto Raptors on February 5th. After averaging 8.7 points on 35.8% shooting this season, the Grizzlies decided to cut their losses to free up minutes for their young wing trio.
Smart's trade to Wizards was almost the original team he was traded to
When the Grizzlies acquired Marcus Smart in a three-team trade with the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards during the 2023 offseason, they were a last-minute add. The Celtics were trying to obtain then-Washington big man Kristaps Porzingis and needed a third team to execute the deal after a Malcolm Brogdon failed physical eliminated the initial trade with the Los Angeles Clippers as the third team.
Although there was no confirmation that Marcus Smart would've been included in a direct trade for Porzingis to the Washington Wizards, that possibility did exist. The Celtics didn't want to part with Smart but the Grizzlies offering two first-round picks in the deal was too good to pass up for the Celtics.
Less than two years later, the Grizzlies had to admit to that being a bad decision, which was compounded with them attaching this year's first-round pick to get rid of Smart. In total, Marcus Smart cost the Grizzlies three first-round draft picks for 39 games played out of a potential 133 contests.
General Manager Zach Kleiman hasn't had many misses in his tenure with the Grizzlies but this one ranks up near the top of his blunders. The risk was worth taking as the Grizzlies needed more veteran leadership after a rocky end to their 2022-23 season and injuries can't be predicted, especially when Smart was consistently available for the Celtics throughout his nine-year tenure with them.
Luckily Kleiman hit on three consecutive second-round draft picks of wings with Vince Williams Jr. (2022), GG Jackson (2023), and Jaylen Wells (2024) to lessen the blow of losing three first-round draft picks. They also received the Wizards' second-round draft pick for this year's draft, which figures to be a high pick in that round.