Derrick White appears likely to become the new starting point guard in Boston.Īccording to NBA reporter Marc Stein ( Twitter link), the Clippers had concerns over Brogdon’s injury status. It was widely known that Boston was looking to clear a logjam in its backcourt, but it’s a surprise that Smart will be the odd man out rather than Brogdon or Payton Pritchard. Rather than sending out Malcolm Brogdon, the Celtics will lose Smart, the longest-tenured player on the roster who had appeared in nearly 700 total regular season and playoff games for the franchise since 2014. 35 from Boston for Porzingis.Īlthough Boston still found a way to acquire Porzingis, who picked up his $36MM player option for 2023/24 as part of the agreement, the incoming and outgoing packages are significantly different than the ones the team discussed with Washington and the Clippers earlier on Wednesday. 25) and Golden State’s top-four protected 2024 first-round pick (via Memphis) for Smart, while the Wizards will acquire No. The Celtics will be receiving Memphis’ first-round pick (No. Muscala has a $3.5MM team option, which will be exercised as part of the deal. The Grizzlies will also be involved in the revamped three-team deal, with point guard Tyus Jones heading to Washington and Celtics guard Marcus Smart headed to Memphis, per Wojnarowski.Ĭeltics big men Mike Muscala and Danilo Gallinari will be sent to the Wizards in the trade, according to Adam Himmselbach of The Boston Globe ( Twitter links). That recipe could bring out the best of them.After their three-team framework with the Clippers was scrapped, the Wizards and Celtics have reached a new agreement to send Kristaps Porzingis to Boston, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports. That may be difficult, but they are veterans with a lot to gain as they stare down free agency. They will have to prove to the coaching staff they are worth larger roles. Meeks and Smith are in position to be casualties of the Wizards' newfound depth, but that is just on paper. This past season those numbers dipped to a 39.1 field goal percentage and a 12.5 three-point percentage, the former setting a career-low. When he was at his best the season before and when he played 74 games and emerged as a fan favorite, Smith was setting career-highs with his efficiency. What was difficult for Smith last season was the fact he wasn't afforded the playing time to develop a shooting rhythm. He figures to be no higher on the depth chart at the beginning of this season as, though Mike Scott left, they replaced him with Jeff Green as the backup power forward. He was healthy, yet only played in 33 games, racking up a lot of DNP-CDs. He pretty much has to hit threes at a high percentage to force the issue.įor Smith, the opportunities just weren't there last year. Barring injury, it won't be easy for Meeks to crack the rotation. The Wizards went out and traded for Austin Rivers, who will take over as the primary backup shooting guard. The problem for him is that the opportunity that was there last season, won't be there in this one. Meeks will be motivated to right his wrongs and make the most of his final year in Washington. Unfortunately, he didn't get the minutes to really make an impact there and failed to reach the line enough to put his elite free throw percentage to proper use. He's not a great defender or passer, but is a decent rebounder. If Meeks isn't scoring, the other shortcomings in his game become magnified. Instead, he averaged his fewest points since his rookie year, and shot just 39.9 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from three down from his 41.8 and 37.2 career averages. Meeks was supposed to be the answer at backup shooting guard as a consistent scorer off the bench. Although Meeks was able to shed the injury-prone label by appearing in 77 games, his numbers dipped pretty much across the board. He joined the Wizards as a free agent last summer with questions about his health, as he only played 39 total games in his previous two years. They are both also aiming to rebound from down years that sunk their stock as NBA players.įirst, let's look at Meeks. But beyond that fact, the two are in similar boats.īoth Meeks and Smith are in their early thirties, exercised player options to remain with the team and are one year away from free agency. There is one major difference, in that Meeks is due to serve a 19-game suspension to begin the year. Off The Bench: What Will Dawkins looks for when picking prospectsĢ017-18 stats: 33 G, 8.6 mpg, 3.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.4 apg, 0.1 spg, 0.4 bpg, 39.1 FG%, 12.5 3P%, 90.5 FT%, 40.9 eFG%, 93 ORtg, 110 DRtgĢ018-19 storyline: The Wizards have two players on their bench in Jodie Meeks and Jason Smith that have some parallels as they enter the 2018-19 season.
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