Boston Herald · Oct 17, 2017
Marcus Smart, Celtics fail to reach agreement on rookie extension
CLEVELAND — Talks between Marcus Smart and the Celtics over a rookie extension, never close, ended without resolution last night.
Happy Walters, the Celtics guard’s agent, said that both sides worked hard to reach an agreement before the deadline, and by all accounts the team wants to keep their talented guard on a long-term basis.
“But Wyc (Grousbeck) doesn’t want to pay the tax,” Walters said of the Celtics’ managing partner. “They’re into the tax already with three guys who make $30 million a year. If they want someone to take a discount, maybe it should be someone who has already made $150 million in their career, not someone who is just up and coming.”