The Celtics are signing guard Marcus Smart to a four-year contract extension, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The deal is for four more years and is worth $77 million, and also includes a trade kicker, Charania noted. It does not, however, include a player option, added Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Smart, 27, is 6-foot-3 and was the subject of trade rumors early in the offseason, but remains a valued member of the Celtics, a versatile wing defender who is strong enough to match up with some of the game’s bigger forwards.
“Smart has developed into one of the franchise’s most important players, an elite defender and competitor who has twice been voted to NBA All-Defensive first teams,” Wojnarowski wrote.
He averaged a career-highs of 13.1 points, 5.7 assists and 32.9 minutes in 48 games last season.
Smart will continue to be relied on heavily in a backcourt that underwent a bit of a face lift, trading away point guard Kemba Walker and signing free agent Dennis Schroder.
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