Lakers Land Their Missing Piece in Marcus Smart
The attitude among Lakers fans towards this offseason has been indifferent at best. With the expected loss of Dorian Finney-Smith blown out of proportion, and the undervaluing of the Ayton and LaRavia signings, tempers have been high. That is, until the Lakers signed Marcus Smart.
On Saturday, Shams Charania announced that the Washington Wizards would be agreeing to a contract buyout with Smart, and that he would subsequently sign with the Lakers on a 2-year $11M contract with a player option.
THE 2022 DPOY IS A LOS ANGELES LAKER. 🤯
OUR PERIMETER DEFENSE JUST GOT DANGEROUS. 😈 pic.twitter.com/cTZrZLHEZP
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) July 19, 2025
The Lakers have been searching for a player like Marcus Smart to secure the perimeter for some time, and he’ll be able to help the organization on multiple fronts fairly quickly.
Filling the Longstanding Gap
Since Alex Caruso and KCP, the Lakers have struggled to lock down solid defenders on the perimeter. Jarred Vanderbilt has shown flashes of brilliance, yet struggles to stay healthy enough to sustain it for a full season. For a while, it seemed as though Max Christie would fill the mantle, until being included in the trade for Doncic.
You could look at Smart and have similar concerns that you’d have for Vanderbilt. Smart has only played in 54 games over the last two seasons while bouncing between Memphis and Washington.
Not quite the run you’d want your point of attack stopper coming off of, but beggars can’t be choosers. In Smart’s defense, before his streak of injuries, he was only one season removed from winning the DPOY award. The Lakers aren’t getting a scrub off the street.
It will be interesting to see whether the Lakers choose to start Smart or bring him off the bench. On the one hand, the backcourt does lack a defensive presence, but on the other hand, who do you replace? Obviously, Doncic, James, and Ayton are locks to start.
That leaves Hachimura or Reaves to come off the bench, and both of those moves would be lengthy discussions.
Another Value Contract
The Lakers continued their offseason of high-end frugality with the signing of Smart. Every signing they have made this offseason has been exactly on the organization’s terms. Great value for players looking desperately to prove themselves, and none of the deals handicapping the team deep into the future.
By giving Smart a two-year deal, it locks up a solid perimeter defender for two years. Adding a player option gives the Lakers the possibility of expiring money to play with next offseason. Sounds like a win-win to me.
Smart, a three-time All-Defense first team guard, will have a player option on his new Lakers deal to enter a more flush 2026 free agency, sources said. Point of attack defender was a position of need for L.A. as well — with Luka Doncic recruiting and reaching out to Smart. https://t.co/POZfSea5sU
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 19, 2025
This value contract also hints towards the liklihood of the Lakers signing an extention with Luka Doncic. The fact that he is recruiting players to Los Angeles, mixed with his recent comments to ESPN about how he wants to be remembered, are both good signs pointing to an extension.
A Battle-Tested Vet in the Locker Room
Marcus Smart has been in some dogfights over the course of his career. He was arguably entering the peak of his ability during LeBron’s incredible runs through the East with Cleveland, and the two matched up often.
At 31, he’ll definitely be one of the older players on the team and will bring a wealth of knowledge. Who I’m most excited for him to pass said knowledge along to is Bronny James.
Bronny has already shown flashes of being able to be a switchable 3&D style player, and after watching him in Summer League, he may be closer to a rotational player than some think. A season of being able to watch and learn from one of the best perimeter defenders of this generation will do wonders for his development.
Smart will follow in the footsteps of two former Celtics veteran guards who came to the Lakers in search of a title. When Avery Bradley and Rajon Rondo joined the Purple and Gold in 2019, it seemed to work out for all parties involved.
