When the trade deadline passed last Thursday, Marcus Smart actually could have expended a heavier sigh of relief. But when he heard about the high price the Celtics were asking from suitors, he took comfort in the fact the price was too rich for anyone to bite.
“Danny (Ainge) just told me, ‘We really want you.’ I’ve seen a little bit of what other teams were saying, and what the Celtics were asking in return,” the Celtics guard said yesterday. “That speaks volumes that they valued me pretty high. You definitely have to take that into consideration, and it means a lot.