League sources confirm that Marcus Smart’s name has come up in a number of trade discussions ahead of Thursday’s deadline, and as he stood in the Celtic dressing room Sunday, his right hand protected by both black and white tape, it was hard not to connect the circumstantial stitches.
For the second straight January 24th, Smart punched an inanimate object — last year it was a locker room wall in Washington, this year a picture frame in a Beverly Hills hotel bathroom — and there is room to wonder how long Celtics management wants to cast its lot with the tough and excitable guard.