Marcus Smart salutes the professionalism of Jaylen Brown

Unhappy finalists, the Celtics are however part of the teams which seem to have particularly succeeded in their off-season, strengthening their workforce with the arrivals of Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari, who however injured his knee meniscus in full preparation for EuroBasket 2022.

In the process, the franchise of Massachusetts has also animated the rumors, in particular about a blockbuster deal which would have involved Jaylen Brown (and Marcus Smart) on the side of Boston and Kevin Durant on the side of Brooklyn.

In the end, nothing happened, Boston having no intention of upsetting its roster while the situation was sorted out at the same time at the Nets. Principal concerned, Jaylen Brown did not let himself be affected by these noises from the corridors. An attitude that Marcus Smart obviously appreciated.

“He handled the situation very well,” declared best defender of the year. “He walks around with a smile on his face. In fact, we didn’t even talk about it when we were together. We just talked about the upcoming season and how to prepare, but he’s been great. He handles the situation as professionally as possible. I advise everyone not to forget that this is first and foremost a business”.

Soon ready for the “training camp” reunion

Jaylen Brown was content to remain professional by projecting himself to the end with the Celtics as long as no official agreement between Boston and Brooklyn was going to be found. While big trade rumors like this can be unsettling, Marcus Smart sees the problem the opposite way.

“When you’re doing business, personal considerations should be put aside and shouldn’t be the issue, so you can’t see it that way. If your name comes up in trade talks, I consider it a compliment. It means the teams want you. This is a good thing. If your name doesn’t appear anywhere, that’s where the problem is, because it means no one wants you. That’s how I see things and that’s how people should see them. It’s difficult, I understand, but just because it’s about to happen doesn’t mean it’s going to happen that way.” he added.

While waiting to find his entire team for the “training camp”, except Danilo Gallinari, Marcus Smart continues to treat his ankle, the one that prevented him from evolving 100% during the last NBA Finals.

“My ankle is better, it’s still healing, so I’m going with it. I’m just giving him as much rest as possible, but I’m definitely back on the pitch, in action.”he confided. “I’m doing everything I can to be ready for the next season and to go further. I’m pretty close (by 100%), but it’s only September, not the time to be in May/June shape. So I try not to get too carried away, but I’m really close to my best form and I’ve been doing this since my ninth season. So I know exactly what I need to prepare and I will be there for the recovery.