Restricted free agent Marcus Smart is awaiting a contract offer. Many teams expect Smart to resign with the Celtics whenever he receives an offer sheet, because Boston is expected to match. According to the Boston Globe, Smart is starting to talk to other teams besides the Celtics.
Smart has made it known that he is willing to go sign a deal that would pay him less than $15 million. For some fans, this might seem like a hefty price for Smart. But with no offers, this could be what he has to do start gaining interest.
Free agent guard Marcus Smart met with two NBA teams here on Monday and is scheduled to meet with two more on Tuesday, according to a league source. The group includes teams from both conferences, the source said.
There have been conflicting reports about how much Smart and his camp are hoping for on the open market, but a source familiar with the negotiations said the guard is open to signing a multiyear deal for less than $15 million per season.
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The Celtics and Smart could also come to their own agreement, but there is no sign of that happening just yet.
Smart entered restricted free agency as one of the top guards on the market, but so many teams don't have the cap space to meet the demands of players that have to set their own market. This has led to a heavy amount of restricted free agents not receiving the money they feel they're worth.
It will be interesting to see what value Smart ends up being set at. For awhile it looked like he was going to have to settle for the qualifying offer, but as teams strike out on players they are pursuing, that should increase Smart's value. Especially if he's showing that he's willing to settle for less than market value.
