Marcus Smart said he considers himself a businessman, and if he had been in charge of the Celtics’ personnel decisions last summer he would have traded himself to the Grizzlies in the three-team trade that brought Kristaps Porzingis to Boston, too.
But he said he just would have handled the process a bit differently.
“All I ask was that they could have given me a heads-up or just a simple, ‘Hey, being here nine years, we just want to let you know this is what’s going on,’” Smart said Sunday, before his Grizzlies lost to the Celtics, 131-91, at TD Garden. “[That would have been] perfect. At the end of the day, I’m a businessman as well. So that’s what it was, where the hurt really came from. But like I said, I was able to keep my mind off of it.
“There’s no ill will toward the organization, toward my teammates, toward the coaching staff. I love everybody. And I’m thankful to have had an opportunity to play with those guys.”
Smart helped the Celtics come within two wins of an NBA title two seasons ago, and last year was the starting point guard on a squad that lost to the Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. Now, he’s with a Grizzlies team so thoroughly ravaged by injuries that it had just eight active players Sunday night.
It’s been a big shift for a player who envisioned spending his entire career in Boston.
“I mean, when you come that close and then you have to leave this, anybody in this position would definitely — it would be hard to try to wrap your head around it,” said Smart, who is sidelined with a hand injury. “But at the end of the day, like I said, it doesn’t stop how I feel about good guys. And just as much as I think I deserve it, they deserve it as much as well. So that’s why I say I am ecstatic for those guys, because they work just as hard and they deserve it just as much as I do.”
Honorable mentions
A tribute video for Smart was shown during the game’s first timeout. After the collection of highlights from his Celtics career was complete, Smart received a standing ovation as he waved to the crowd. Soon after, the fans began chanting “We love Marcus.”
Smart was also honored with the Celtics’ “Hero Among Us” award during the game as a recognition of his community service work during his time in Boston. After being drafted in 2014, Smart spent his first day as a Celtic meeting with children battling pediatric cancer and continued to make frequent visits to Boston Children’s Hospital. Through his foundation he also donated mobile charging stations that included video game consoles and tablets to local hospitals, and he led other initiatives focused on guiding inner-city youth.
“I pride myself on being more than just a basketball player and I think being here in the city of Boston has really opened that field for me to really show who I am as a person,” Smart said. “I think the things I do off the court really show that.”
Brown out, Kornet in
Celtics forward Jaylen Brown missed Sunday’s game due to lower back tightness. The Celtics have generally tried to find more rest days for their stars this season, and coach Joe Mazzulla said Brown will likely be back soon.
Backup center Luke Kornet returned after missing three games with hamstring tightness.
Memphis’s active roster, meanwhile, included three players on two-way contracts and three players recently signed to 10-day contracts.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.