The Los Angeles Lakers scored a major coup with their recent signing of former NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart.
But there were also concerns about his recent injury history that only limited him to 54 games over the last two seasons.
However, the Lakers get some good news on that front as NBA insider Marc Stein reported that a “sleeker” Smart is reporting to the training camp in the fall.
“I’m likewise told that Smart (like Dončić) has been working hard on his body this summer. Conditioning was an undeniable issue for Smart last season, but the Lakers were convinced during their pursuit that they will see a sleeker version of the 2021-22 DPOY,” Stein wrote on his Substack newsletter “The Stein Line” on July 20.
If healthy, Smart has a great chance to land on the Lakers’ starting unit to provide point-of-attack defense after they lost Dorian Finney-Smith in free agency. He could also be their Sixth Man.
Luka Doncic Plays Key Role in Lakers Landing Marcus Smart
Getty Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic gives a first pump to general manager Rob Pelinka, right, before game four of the first round of the NBA playoffs between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Lakers beat their biggest market rival, New York Knicks, to the draw in acquiring Smart, according to New York Post’s Stefan Bondy.
The Knicks “checked in” with Smart, per Bondy, before the veteran guard was swayed by Luka Dončić‘s pitch to join him in Los Angeles.
“Per source, Knicks couldn’t offer the type of role Marcus Smart was looking for,” Bondy wrote on X.
On top of that, the Knicks are limited in their spending power, with only the veteran minimum to offer Smart.
The three-time All-Defensive guard opted to sign a two-year, $11 million deal (player option on the second year) with the Lakers once he clears waivers after reaching a buyout with the rebuilding Washington Wizards, ESPN’s senior NBA insider Shams Charania reported on July 19.
In addition to the Knicks, the Lakers also beat the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks, who seriously pursued the 2022 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, according to Charania.
Charania and Stein both reported that Dončić played a key role in Smart joining the Lakers amid strong interest from rival teams.
“I’m told that the recent Dončić pitch, once Washington granted the 31-year-old and his agent Jason Glushon permission to talk to other teams in search of a post-buyout landing spot, particularly resonated with Smart and helped lead the former Defensive Player of the Year to choose the Lakers over a determined push by the Suns to land the former Celtic,” Stein wrote.
From Defensive Player of the Year to Journeyman
Getty LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers looks to pass the ball against Marcus Smart.
Smart was named the Defensive Player of the Year in 2022, the first guard to win the award after Gary Payton in the 1995-96 season. He was a three-time All-Defensive First Team while with the Celtics. He was a pillar for the Celtics teams that went to the NBA Finals in 2022 and reached the Eastern Conference Finals twice.
But Smart has been a shell of himself since the Celtics unceremoniously traded him in 2023 as part of the three-team deal that brought in Kristaps Porzingis.
Smart’s departure and Porzingis’ arrival led to the Celtics finally getting over the hump and winning their 18th NBA championship in 2024.
It was all downhill for Smart’s career since then as he became a journeyman, splitting his time in Memphis and Washington while navigating serious injuries. The 31-year-old guard has only appeared in 54 games over the last two seasons due to injuries.
After only appearing in 20 games in his first season with the Memphis Grizzlies, they cut bait when they shipped him to the Washington Wizards in a salary dump move at the trade deadline.
Smart would only see action for 15 games in the nation’s capital, averaging 9.3 points, 22.5 assists and 1.1 steals in 18.7 minutes off the bench.
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