Celtics star Marcus Smart. May 25, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) reacts during the first quarter of game five against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals for the 2023 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Wednesday was an eventful day for the Boston Celtics, who were reported to be very deep into trade talks for former All-Star forward Kristaps Porzingis. They finally pulled off the trade, but Celtics fans certainly didn’t expect to give up who they did in the move.

Initially, a deal was almost in place that would have sent Wizards star Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics, Malcolm Brogdon to the Clippers, and Marcus Morris, Amir Coffey, and the No. 30 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft to the Wizards.

That deal ended up falling apart after reports emerged that the Clippers were concerned about Malcolm Brogdon’s injury status.

Even though that move didn’t pan out, the Celtics still went ahead and found another way to bring in Porzingis.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news that the Celtics had agreed to a three-team trade to acquire Porzingis, where they will be giving up Marcus Smart in return.

The Celtics will be getting Kristaps Porzingis, the No. 25 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and a 2024 first-round pick from the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies will be getting Marcus Smart. And the Wizards will receive the No. 35 pick in the upcoming draft along with Tyus Jones, Danilo Gallinari, and Mike Muscala.

Bringing in Porzingis is obviously a huge move for Boston, but losing a former Defensive Player of the Year like Marcus Smart could potentially be a huge loss.

Many around the NBA world took to social media to offer their immediate reaction to the news.

Smart was largely seen as the heart and soul of some very good Celtics teams in past years, so it will be very interesting to see how their fare without him.

[Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter]

About Reice Shipley

Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.