Restricted free agent Marcus Smart essentially has three options:
1. Sign his qualifying offer with the Celtics. Boston’s $6 million qualifying offer has been on the table for a couple of weeks, but Smart appears to be holding out for a better deal. If Smart signs the qualifying offer, he will play in Boston for $6,053,719 next year and become an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the season. Signing the qualifying offer and not securing a multi-year contract with the Celtics, or elsewhere, could be particularly risky because of the disparity in pay between a qualifying offer and new contract.