Marcus Smart was a major catalyst in the Los Angeles Lakers getting past the Houston Rockets in the first round. With Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves sidelined, Smart stepped up as an on-ball creator and did a great job orchestrating offense.
Before the postseason, the former Defensive Player of the Year proved how integral a piece he was for L.A. and it makes sense to re-sign him to a new deal should he decline his player option and reach free agency. Ironically, Houston appears to be interested in acquiring Smart’s services, given his connection with head coach Ime Udoka, via NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer:
The Rockets do, however, loom as a possible free agent destination for another one of Udoka’s former players in Boston: Marcus Smart.
League sources say that Smart, who is expected to draw interest from Houston and possibly other teams in free agency, is very much giving consideration to declining his $5.4 million player option for next season with the Lakers before Monday’s deadline to do so and then proceed to the open market.
Games 2 and 3 against the Rockets were notable for the veteran guard as he dropped 21 and 25 points, respectively, along with a combined 17 assists. Not to mention his superb defensive totaling 10 steals and three blocks in those two games.
Presumably, the Rockets will not be the only team positioning themselves to sign Smart after he re-established himself as a winning player after a few down years due to injury. Before he even hits the open market, he needs to make a decision on his $5.4 million player option on June 29, but signs point to him declining it for a well-deserved raise.
Frankly, the Lakers cannot afford to lose Smart this summer, as there are not many replacements on the open market. With only Austin Reaves signed thus far, L.A. possesses the financial ability to retain Smart and they could utilize the room exception, which is around $9.5 million and about a $4 million raise, but that may not be enough.
Marcus Smart more likely to return than Deandre Ayton?
Player options have been a common tool utilized by Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka when negotiating contracts, with Deandre Ayton and Smart being two recent examples.
Los Angeles got two high-caliber role players for cheap and they both outperformed their respective contracts. Smart proved his importance to this team, while Ayton did play better than an $8 million player.
As June 29 approaches to make decisions on their player options, it is being reported that Smart is more likely to return to the team next season than Ayton.
If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.
