Luka Doncic continued his recruiting tour with the Los Angeles Lakers, luring Marcus Smart to Hollywood after he and the Wizards agreed to a contract buyout. He plans to sign a two-year, $11 million deal with the Lakers, a contract that could easily age well. There are questions about which version of Smart LA will get, though.
The 31-year-old spent the first nine seasons of his career in Boston, where he was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2021-22. The Celtics traded him to the Grizzlies in 2023, where he was until earlier this year. Memphis traded Smart to Washington in February.
Smart wanted to play for a contender, which led him to the Lakers. It’s a good spot for him to revitalize his career after playing a combined 54 games the past two seasons. Of course, Los Angeles hopes that he’ll stay healthy and play like the defensive pest he was known to be in Boston, but that might be asking too much.
The version of Marcus Smart that the Lakers need may no longer exist
To make the impact that LA wants, Smart needs to be on the floor. Availability is the best ability, and if he plays in the 60-game range, that’d be nearly double as much as he played last season (34).
The Lakers needed to upgrade their defense after unexpectedly losing Dorian Finney-Smith to the Rockets, and Smart will help fill that void. He averaged a combined 1.1 steals per game last season for Memphis and Washington. Not only that, but he can also score, as he averaged 9.0 points per game last season on 39.3% shooting from the field and 34.8% from three.
On paper, the Smart signing looks great. He won’t make much money ($5.1 million in 2025-26 and less than $5.4 million in 2026-27) and is the defensive upgrade that the Lakers were looking for.
There is more pressure on DeAndre Ayton, but like with Ayton, Smart could be a steal for LA. As with Ayston, there are a few unknowns, such as whether Smart can stay in good shape and whether he can recapture the version of the player he was in Boston.
If so, the Lakers could make more noise than people expect, especially with the news that LeBron James is expected to stay.
It’s still just the offseason, though. LA fans know what it’s like to get their hopes up over summer moves, only to be disappointed when the season rolls around. Hopefully, Smart won’t cause fans to feel that way.
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