The Los Angeles Lakers announced they have signed guard Marcus Smart in free agency after he was bought out by the Washington Wizards and cleared waivers.
Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but it is believed to be for two years and $11 million with a player option for the 2026-27 season.
“Adding a player like Marcus Smart to our roster allows us to compete at the highest level,” Lakers President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka said. “Marcus epitomizes what it means to prioritize winning above all else – whether that’s making huge plays on the defensive end or hitting critical shots in key moments of the most intense games. He knows and understands playoff winning and will be a key leadership voice in our group. Surrounding our stars with two-way players like Marcus is critical to our overall vision of how we want to play and win next season. This is an exciting player acquisition, for sure.”
The Lakers entered the offseason with glaring needs like the center position and its perimeter defense, and they managed to address both in the buyout market by signing Deandre Ayton and Smart, respectively. Ayton signed for the remainder of the team’s non-taxpayer mid-level exception while Smart reportedly signed for the full bi-annual exception.
While Smart has dealt with injuries the past few seasons, he still remains a stout defender that can guard multiple positions and infuse a team like Los Angeles with a competitive edge and spirit they’ve been missing. The former NBA Defensive Player of the Year is still one of the best defenders in the league when available and should immediately slot in as an important piece of head coach JJ Redick’s rotation.
Aside from the obvious defensive upgrade, Smart is also a capable playmaker that can run an offense and find teammates open for good shots. The Lakers are rich in playmaking talent between LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves but adding someone like Smart provides more depth and versatility for the roster. There are also off-court benefits to Smart as he’s a respected leader in the locker room who should have a voice that’s willing to motivate and challenge his teammates.
Signing Smart is should go a long way in helping the purple and gold compete in the Western Conference as the teams around them have improved tremendously. The Oklahoma City Thunder remain the gold standard, but the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets and L.A. Clippers have all added more firepower to bolster their own championship cases.
The Lakers should be in the mix as they’ve got arguably the most star power, but adding on the margins should remain a priority this summer. Jake LaRavia, Ayton and now Smart are all great additions to the roster but the team could still use one more backup big and another 3-and-D wing.
There are avenues to acquiring either archetype of player via trade, so it’ll be interesting to see if L.A. continues to stay aggressive in the market.
Marcus Smart chose Lakers over Suns and Bucks
It’s rare for buyout players as impactful as Marcus Smart to become available, so he expectedly had interest from multiple teams. Fortunately for the Lakers, Smart chose them over teams like the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks.
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