The former Celtics guard is set to sign a two-year, $11 million deal with the Lakers once his buyout with the Wizards is finalized, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Saturday.
While Smart technically isn’t a free agent yet, his free agency process actually began before Washington finalized his contract buyout. The Wizards granted Smart permission to speak with other teams, discussing a possible deal with the Bucks and Suns in addition to the Lakers, according to Charania.
Ultimately, Los Angeles landed Smart with the help of Luka Doncic. The Lakers star made a “direct recruiting pitch” that “resonated” with Smart, longtime NBA insider Marc Stein reported.
What Doncic told Smart hasn’t been reported, but it could be easy to see why the veteran guard picked the Lakers over the other two teams that showed interest in him. Los Angeles likely has the strongest chance to compete for a title between those three teams, finishing with the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference last season before getting eliminated in the first round.
As the Lakers offer Smart a chance to compete, he’s spent the last two seasons on non-contenders after getting traded by the Celtics in the 2023 offseason. The Grizzlies went 27-55 in 2023-24, with Smart playing in just 20 games in his first year with the team. This past season, Smart was traded from the Grizzlies to the Wizards at the trade deadline in February, finishing the year with a team that went 18-64.
Los Angeles might not have a starting role available for Smart, with Austin Reaves and Doncic occupying the backcourt. However, Smart should have a regular spot in the Lakers’ rotation. He’ll likely become their top ball handler off the bench, something Los Angeles lacked last season. The 2021-22 Defensive Player of the Year winner will also give the Lakers some defensive help in their backcourt, with Doncic and Reaves constantly getting scrutinized for their play on that end of the court.
Whether Smart is the player that will get the Lakers over the hump, though, obviously remains to be seen. The 31-year-old has dealt with injury issues over the last two seasons. Ankle and finger injuries forced him to miss 62 games in 2023-24, while he played just 34 games last season due to ankle, knee, shoulder, and finger injuries.
As Smart hasn’t consistently seen the court over the last two years, his play has statistically taken a dip, too. He averaged nine points and 3.2 assists per game last year, which were the third-worst marks he’s put up in each stat over his 11-year career.
Smart is the Lakers’ third notable pickup in free agency this offseason. They signed center Deandre Ayton and wing Jake LaRavia earlier in July, hoping to fortify their frontcourt and wing depth.
However, questions surrounding LeBron James’s future in Los Angeles still loom. The 40-year-old star picked up his player option for the 2025-26 season, but his agent stated that James will be monitoring the Lakers’ offseason moves to see if they’re taking a win-now approach. That statement helped spark trade rumors.
If James winds up remaining in Los Angeles for the 2025-26 season, Smart won’t be the first former fan favorite Celtics guard he’s played with during his Lakers tenure. Rajon Rondo had two stints with the Lakers (2018-20; 2021-22), helping Los Angeles win an NBA title in 2020 as he played a key role off the bench. He became the second player to win a title with both the Celtics and Lakers.
Smart, on the other hand, is seeking his first title. Of course, the Celtics won it all after trading him for Kristaps Porzingis in 2024.
Smart was entering the final season of a four-year, $76.5 million extension he signed with Boston in the 2021 offseason.
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