Colin Cowherd Suggests Marcus Smart Trade Idea To Celtics
With Phoenix reportedly looking to move on from Chris Paul, Colin Cowherd believes the Suns should work with the Celtics to arrange a 1-for-1 trade that could benefit both sides. Although one report claims Phoenix intends to waive Paul, another indicates the Suns still are exploring potential trades for the 12-time NBA All-Star. Cowherd believes […]
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With Phoenix reportedly looking to move on from Chris Paul, Colin Cowherd believes the Suns should work with the Celtics to arrange a 1-for-1 trade that could benefit both sides.
Although one report claims Phoenix intends to waive Paul, another indicates the Suns still are exploring potential trades for the 12-time NBA All-Star. Cowherd believes there’s a blockbuster opportunity for Phoenix in Boston, where a true floor general is of great need. “The Herd” host also thinks the Suns can fill a roster hole with a possible trade return.
“Marcus Smart is exactly what Phoenix needs because of Kevin Durant’s history of breaking down,” Cowherd said Thursday on FS1. “They need a guy that’s younger, plays 65-70 games along with (Devin) Booker and Deandre Ayton. So when KD gets hurt, they’ve got their other three stars: Ayton, Smart and Booker. He’s also tough, he’s physical. I think Phoenix could use some of that. Booker’s an OK guard, not great defensively. Smart is great, coachable. Frank Vogel, new coach, loves guys like Marcus Smart — loves him. Physical, not going to be a ball hog. Also, I think Phoenix needs a new point guard. They have one in Chris Paul, but he’s not available. So when he’s not available and KD’s not available due to age and brittleness, it’s a wreck. So, he (Smart) obviously fits.
“Who are the Celtics’ two stars? Young, in their prime: Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. They play 70 games, they play a lot of minutes. It’s OK if Chris Paul plays 55 games. It’s OK if he plays 30 minutes, not 40, because they’ve got that comfort. This team in Boston doesn’t play with a lot of intention offensively. They don’t have a true quarterback. Marcus Smart’s a defensive guard first, Jaylen Brown’s a wing, Malcolm Brogdon’s a combo (and) Tatum’s a wing. They just free-wheel it, they freelance it. They have trouble getting into their offense. …Smart’s a defensive-minded guard. Chris Paul is an offensive-minded guard who was All-NBA two years ago. Yeah, you’re only going to get 58 games from him. So what? Tatum plays 68 to 70, Brown plays 68-70. The Celtics draft and develop well. They’ve got young guys on the bench. This makes sense to me.”
The Celtics don’t necessarily need Paul, and Smart has been the backbone of the franchise for a few years now. As such, Boston’s best course of action if it’s interested in Paul probably is hoping Phoenix doesn’t find a trade partner and then pursuing him as a free agent. Parting ways with Smart for an oft-injured player who’s closing in on 40 years old doesn’t make a ton of sense for the Celtics.
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