Smart says Kyrie's leadership didn't kill Celtics: 'That's bulls---'

Marcus Smart isn't buying into the idea that Kyrie Irving is a poor teammate.

When asked Thursday if Irving's leadership killed the Boston Celtics this season, Smart didn't mince words.

"Bullshit. That's bullshit. Not one of us on this team knows what Kyrie has been through. Probably a few amount of people in this world know what Kyrie goes through," Smart told Jared Weiss of The Athletic.

"It was hard for him as well. He was forced into a situation where it was business over the friendships. Where he had to come into the situation where there was a group of guys that had something going before I come here, how will I fit in?

"He didn't want to disrupt that and that says a lot. This is Kyrie Irving we're talking about. ... we took him with full arms and we tried to understand. But we never really understood, because we're not in his shoes. That's just a bullshit statement to say that his leadership killed us. It's four other guys out there, it's 12, 13 other guys on the team, coaches and everything. So, to just blame it on one guy is just bullshit."

Irving faced criticism during the season over supposed friction in the locker room. Following a loss to the Orlando Magic in January, the six-time All-Star called out Boston's younger players, saying they didn't understand what it meant to be a championship-level team.

Then in March, it was reported that Irving had grown "disengaged" from the rest of his teammates.

The Celtics acquired Irving in a blockbuster four-player trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017, but the 27-year-old could choose to play elsewhere next season if he opts out of his contract in order to cash in as a free agent. The New York Knicks have been consistently linked to the former first overall pick as a potential destination.

Smart added that he hopes to see Irving succeed wherever he ends up.

"I love Kyrie as a brother. I talk to Kyrie. I wish nothing for the best," Smart said, according to Weiss. "If he decides to stay, if he decides to go, I wish nothing but the best for Kyrie.

"That's my brother but I have not talked to him about it and I don't plan to. That's his decision."