More Good News On The Marcus Smart Front As The Pacers Are Now Out Of The Running
Big news right here folks. With Tyreke Evans off the board not only does this give Ainge another comp at a great price to bring to the negotiating table, but it also means the Pacers are now out of the running as a potential team that could offer Marcus Smart an offer sheet that may be too pricey for Ainge to match. As of now, here are the list of teams that could still be a factor as we move into the holiday
Given the fact that Atlanta just drafted a point guard and Schroder is still on the roster, I’m not too concerned with them. Same can be said for SAC who does not need any help at the guard position let alone should they be interested in offering huge money. Chicago could be interesting depending on what happens with Zach LaVine and his RFA, but chances are they’d rather spend their money to match any offer he gets. So, that really only leaves PHI. Now I’m ready to bank on the Sixers making an offer to Smart simply to fuck with Ainge, however since they brought back Redick their $15M is a number that I am perfectly happy with Ainge matching, especially if it keeps him away from a team that is trying to be the Celtics rival. I think the days of truly worrying about Smart’s number are over, as the market has spoken and it’s decided this is a bad market to be a RFA in.
To be honest this is a little surprising, that guys who had good years are ending up with short years and low money. I can understand wanting to be back in the market next summer when the cap jumps and the 2016 contracts are off the books of teams that overspent, but I did not think it would be as low as its turned out to be. It will be interesting to see if Smart now just accepts his qualifying offer so he can be restricted in a year and it helps BOS stay under the tax, which in turn gives them a higher exception to use moving forward or if he signs something like a 3/$33M deal. To think that Ainge can possibly get this done for a number under $13M has me giddy with excitement and my ultimate dream of bringing everyone back is one step closer to a reality. Remember, Smart initially turned down an early extension that was around that number so we know Ainge is comfortable going there, and now that we’re here and he might actually get Smart for that price I don’t know how you don’t love it.
So Marcus, if you’re reading this which you 10000% are, it’s time. Come home, and let’s fuck shit up together for the foreseeable future.
