The Celtics, Wizards, and Grizzlies pulled off a blockbuster three-team trade on Wednesday night, sending Kristaps Porzingis to Boston while Marcus Smart was shipped to Memphis.
The Porzingis trade, which was reported to be on the verge of falling apart after the Clippers backed out of negotiations, went down to the wire ahead of the big man’s 2023-24 player option deadline.
The full deal involved multiple draft picks heading in different directions and had NBA Twitter in disarray, as fans eagerly dissected the league’s latest eye-opening transaction.
The main takeaway was the surprise inclusion of Smart in the deal, a move that seemingly blindsided fans on social media. Fans also piled in on the Wizards’ lack of return in dealing away both Bradley Beal and Porzingis, while also being complimentary of Brad Stevens.
When Marcus Smart found out the Celtics trading him to the Grizzlies pic.twitter.com/hqVZOBECGh
— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) June 22, 2023
Damn… Marcus Smart felt like a Celtic lifer. Tuff loss https://t.co/c0jjMPW89h
— LegendOfWinning (@LegendOfWinning) June 22, 2023
Memphis finally has what Dillon Brooks thought he was. https://t.co/T8005G75CV
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) June 22, 2023
For a team that said they wanted to get back to defense and moving the ball I have to say I'm confused how that is achieved by trading Marcus Smart and keeping Malcolm Brogdon
— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) June 22, 2023
Wizards traded Beal and Porzingis for Tyus Jones, Landry Shamet and no first round picks pic.twitter.com/oqQvgKAVIa
— De🅿️ressed Warriors Fan 💔 (@GoIdenState) June 22, 2023
Wizards traded Beal and Porzingis and got 0 1sts like that's actually incredible
— Alex 👋 (@Dubs408) June 22, 2023
Brad Stevens really landed Kristaps Porzingis and 2 first-round picks for Marcus Smart
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) June 22, 2023
Insane haul pic.twitter.com/OA2NikqCV1
Ja Morant and Marcus Smart are teammates 😳 pic.twitter.com/5Tqel9j2TL
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 22, 2023
Brad Stevens trading Marcus Smart to get the Kristaps Porzingis deal done pic.twitter.com/jJQVgeE5NC
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) June 22, 2023
The full trade saw Porzingis dealt to the Celtics, along with the No. 25 pick in the 2023 NBA draft and a 2024 first-round pick. The Grizzlies received Smart, while the Wizards added Tyus Jones, Mike Muscala, Danilo Gallinari, and the No. 35 pick in this year’s draft.
