A blockbuster draft night trade could reunite Marcus Smart with his former coach

With the 2024 NBA Draft less than a week away, trade rumor season is officially underway. The noise will only amplify as we get closer to June 26, and one team to keep a close eye on is the Houston Rockets.

The Rockets have the No. 3 overall pick and have been tied to several high-profile players potentially on the trade market for months. Houston is willing to make a splash move to land a star and expedite their rebuild and has the assets to do it.

Houston nearly doubled their win total from 2022-23 under head coach Ime Udoka in his inaugural campaign this year. The team has an entirely new identity, seeing their defensive efficiency ranking improve from 29th in the NBA to ninth in one season. 

Will the Rockets continue leaning into their newfound recipe for success? If so, one prospective option they can explore on draft night is to reunite Udoka with a familiar face and defensive stalwart: Marcus Smart.

A blockbuster Rockets-Grizzlies draft night trade could reunite Marcus Smart with Ime Udoka

Per Kelly Iko of The Athletic, Udoka and general manager Rafael Stone are "fans" of Smart ($). Afterward, the NBA reporter proposed an intriguing and plausible swap between Houston and the Memphis Grizzlies, sending Smart to the Rockets.

"Is there a possibility Memphis could entice Houston by offering Smart, in addition to the No. 9 pick and future assets, to move up and grab [Donovan] Clingan if he isn’t already gone?" 

As Iko points out, the Grizzlies have been one of the "most vocal" teams in pursuit of moving up to the No. 3 selection. Moreover, he adds that Memphis and the Charlotte Hornets "have been rather aggressive" in their efforts to swap spots with the Rockets. While it could come down to whether or not UConn's Donovan Clingan is still on the board, there is a reasonable path to getting a deal done.

Smart got traded to the Grizzlies from the Boston Celtics nearly a year ago today (June 23). A right ring finger injury limited him to 20 games in his first season with Memphis. The veteran combo guard posted career-high averages in points (14.5), steals (2.1) and field goal percentage (43.0) with 4.3 assists and 2.7 rebounds per contest. Albeit a small sample size, the 29-year-old was ascending upward.

Udoka and Smart overlapped in Boston for one year in 2021-22. That season, the former guided the Celtics to an NBA Finals appearance. Meanwhile, the latter was instrumental to their success, becoming the first guard to be voted Defensive Player of the Year since Hall of Famer Gary Payton in 1995-96.

Could the Rockets rekindle an old flame by bringing Smart to Houston to anchor Udoka's defense again?