Right, let's not forget that one is entering his prime while the other is firmly on a downward curve. Usually defensive anchors fall off a cliff at the age of 33-34. Smart is 32. I genuinely think last year was his last good season as a defensive anchor. He'll still be excellent as a scheme-dependant specialist for 20-25 minutes, but given that his offense will also be taking a hit, how much value can he bring to a team? So yes, I think we improved with Grimes moving forward.
I agree. Smart was a great player for us, but let's be real, he was better than we though was possible (he was 5 million for a reason) and it was the healthiest season he's had in a while. What are the odds of all that happening again with him being a year older? Once you hit your 30's the aging process becomes logarithmic like the richter scale. Lol Grimes may not be quite as good defensively (if Smart somehow stayed healthy again), but he will overall be a much better player over the next 4 years.
