Breaking up is never easy, but former Boston Celtics point guard Marcus Smart wishes he’d had a bit more warning that he was to be dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies in the summer of 2023. “I understand business and I understand this business, and I tell people to this day if it was me, I would make the same business decision as well,” said Smart to the media in his first return to TD Garden as a member of the Grizzlies’ roster.

“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,’ he related. “Perfect.”

“At the end of the day I’m a businessman as well,” explained the Flower Mound native. “So that’s what it was, (that’s where) the hurt really came from.”

Even with the trade coming seemingly out of nowhere for Smart, the Oklahoma State alum holds no grudges towards his old team. “There’s no ill will towards the organization, towards my teammates, towards the coaching staff,” he said.

“I love everybody, and I’m thankful to have had an opportunity to play with those guys.”

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Story originally appeared on Celtics Wire