Marcus Smart has reached an agreement on a buyout with the Wizards and plans to join the Lakers once he clears waivers, according to Shams Charania of ESPN. Smart’s new contract will be worth $11MM over two years and will contain a player option for the second season.
Sources tell Charania that Luka Doncic played a large role in recruiting Smart to L.A. He adds that the Lakers, Suns and Bucks all received permission from Washington to contact Smart, and he had “positive conversations” with all three teams.
The Lakers can use their full biannual exception to add Smart, according to cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link). They’ll have to clear about $4.2MM in salary to have access to the full amount, which may mean parting with Shake Milton, who has a $3MM non-guaranteed salary, and Jordan Goodwin, who only has a $25K guarantee on his $2.35MM salary. If that happens, Gozlan states that L.A. wouldn’t have enough available apron space to sign a 15th man at the beginning of the season (Twitter link).
Milton’s salary for 2025/26 will become fully guaranteed on Sunday, so the Lakers will have to act fast if they plan to waive him.
If Smart gives back the equivalent of the biannual exception in his buyout, the Wizards will be more than $30MM below the luxury tax, Gozlan adds. Washington has its full $14.1MM non-taxpayer midlevel exception remaining, along with $13.4MM and $9.9MM trade exceptions.
Smart, 31, was named Defensive Player of the Year with Boston in 2022, but his career took a downturn after a trade to Memphis in the summer of 2023. Injuries limited him to 39 total games in a year and a half with the Grizzlies before he was sent to Washington in a three-team deal at this year’s trade deadline.
If Smart can stay healthy, he’ll bring much-needed defensive help to the Lakers’ backcourt. He appeared in 19 games with Memphis and 15 games with the Wizards last season, averaging 9.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 20 minutes per night with .393/.348/.761 shooting numbers.
The Wizards have added numerous young players to their roster this summer, so there likely wouldn’t have been regular for playing time for Smart, who had a $21.6MM expiring contract. There were rumors last month that Smart was on the trade market, but the Wizards evidently couldn’t find a team willing to take on his salary.
Solid depth move ! Good D
He brings toughness, play with grit, has an edge to himself, got that dog in him, would take charges and lay his body out on the line, and the type of guy that would and will stick his nose in any situation and come up with the 50/50 balls.
All that is true. On the negative side, he likes the ball in his hands and he takes a lot of bad shots. Like A LOT of bad shots.
If he plays at all. His game has plummeted after the C’s finals loss to Golden State. Wizards don’t want him.
No one is delusional enough to think he should have the ball in their hand when they are in the lineup with Luka.
LeBron will jet him handle the ball, but if Austin is on the court with him, they will share.
If Smart thinks he should be the primary ball handler when he is sharing the ball with Luka, they need to send him to the psych ward. Smart would definitely need a psychiatric evaluation.
He was delusional enough to think he should have the ball in his hands with Tatum and Brown in the lineup with him, and took so many head scratching shots.
Luka is better than either. Plus, those two were not as highly touted as when they won the championship, specially Brown’s offense, and Smart was healthier and better back then.
Don’t get me wrong, Tatum was considered top 15, maybe even top ten in 2022, but Brown’s offense was a bit shaky and inconsistent gave then and he also took a lot of head shaking shots too back then.
Yeah, if Aytom and Smart are “decent”, not great but good, then the Lakers are real contenders.
1. Luka playing full season with Lakers and meshing with the team.
2. Ayton bring the real center the Lakers need.
3. Smart great point of attack defender and provides toughness, and not to mention a good bench the Lakers sorely need.
4. People are going to be surprised by Maxi. In 2023-24 season when the Mavs went to the finals, they were closing the games with Maxi, even with Lively and Gafford healthy. The Mavs plus/minus with Maxi in the lineup were the highest. He is a great defender.
5. Hopefully LaRavia, Knecht, Vince can be better than what the bench provided last year. Vando I have written off.
How did they get to 11 M (over 2 yrs) with only 3.9 in the tank currently this year?
Tax payer MLE? Bi-annual exception?
They have 3.9 of the BAE left only to thier apron (1)
Just doesn’t add up to 11 over 2 not even 10 and change as sometimes they round up
Interested to How this happened- The full BAE over 2 years makes sense but they dont have that currently
I think a trade is imminent for this to actually transpire, even if the lakers wave Milton and Goodwin, the numbers just doesn’t add up and it only make sense number wise if trade is happening like real soon.
Can guard four different positions and he’s exactly the type of player that the Los Angeles Lakers need.
I don’t think you’ve seen him play for a cuppa years.
He’s a good pick up, sure, but he’s not guarding many quick PGs or athletic PFs anymore.
They have the full biannual of $5.134M available. LaRavia and Auton shared the non tax MLE.
They need to get rid of Milton and Goodwin to stay under the first apron. Wouldn’t he surprised if they trade Vincent to Wizards. Then they can keep Goodwin or bring in another player too on a trade.
Who’s the odd man out Bronny? Even more reason for LeBron to pout and want to be traded to Dallas.
Shake Milton but the math aint mathin currently
Milton and Goodwin is getting waived. i have a feeling Wizrds are making an offer for Kuminga.
Milton and Goodwin will clear up the money.
The lakers have the full biannual, $5.134M, available.
Really hope they didn’t stretch Kleber or Vincent to make this happen
I guess they could waive Goodwin and have full BAE and roll with 14 players only but damn really liked Goodwin on the min and having 15 players over the alternative
Rather waive Goodwin than stretch anyone tho
Goodwin really came up clutch in the 2nd half last year. He’ll get a shot somewhere.
Celtics royalty going to the other side a la Rondo.
Yeah, it’s now Marcus who, lols. Paying for a steak in Boston from here on out.
Celtics let him go, I feel like the only side to blame here for this is Boston
Yes, Boston is to blame for trading Smart and winning a championship.
Yup. It was super weird seeing Shaq in a Celtics jersey too
Rick Fox
With the numbers not adding up…possibly some trade in the works shipping out Vincent ot Dalton?
Very possible indeed
Or a stretch…Yuck
Or most likely just waiving Goodwin as well and rolling with 14 till the trade deadline …. really liked Jordan, thought he was a layup to make the team. He provided a lot of what we need at a very small cost
It seems like it is Goodwin will be cut along with Shake, based on what is being reported. I also prefer that to stretching a salary. I also agree with you on what he brings to the team. I’m not sure who is on Two-Way contracts, but maybe they can find someone who has a similar skill set
Hopefully this indicates it’s a knecht trade happeninG. I just don’t like him as a player.
1 sided Game(shootinG) and it’s inconsistent as a mf.
If his jumper ain’t fallinG he a major liability.
Who’s giving advice to these guys?? Smart needs to do whatever it take to get on the good side with Stevens, Tatum and get back on the Celtics roster. Then he needs to suck it up, accept min salary, let go of his pride, and retire as a Celtics legend in few yrs. Now, he’s just another journeyman with no permanent home.
After this move, Washington have 4 guys older than 24 – CJ McCollum, Middleton, Kispert and Bagley. The first 3 can still leave.
Jamir Watkins, a 24 y.o. rookie taken in the 2nd round, is the next oldest on the roster.
If they are smart they would keep CJ and Khris around, at least for a while
He’s a decent pickup. But they need help at the 4.
The Bucks would be a better for him IMO he would be the clear cut starter but I guess he had some other reason to go to the Lakers other than playing time/role
New York Knicks still can’t get anyone to come on a buyout. Unfortunately, nothing has improved with them
Lakers would have won the offseason – and created genuine fear among other contenders – if the Ayton/Smart transactions took place 3 or 4 years ago.
SMART MOVE.
About time the Lakers GET SMART !!
This is a good pick-up but doesn’t move the needle. Marcus smart is not the same player who was in 2022. I think a lot of people on here don’t really understand how fast you get old in basketball. At 32/33 It’s still your basketball Prime and by 34/35 you can be completely cooked as an NBA player. It happens fast. Most of the older players do not impact winning. Now Marcus smart will help guarding 4/3. But he will need to shoot well to be effective. He will not have the ball in his hands that much because the number one option is definitely Luca. Then bron and 3rd is Austin Reeves. If they’re going to have any chance at winning a championship, their fourth option has to be eaten and I would argue that he probably needs to be their third option with LeBron being the 4th to have a chance to win. So Marcus smart can’t be expected to play with the ball in his hands. And if you’ve watched basketball the last couple years, that’s exactly what he’s been doing. It adds depth depth but in order for Los Angeles to win, it all depends on DeAndre Ayton And LeBron being able to pace himself by not trying to be the man.
“ I think a lot of people on here don’t really understand how fast you get old in basketball. At 32/33 It’s still your basketball Prime and by 34/35 you can be completely cooked as an NBA player.”
Steph and LeBron both say, hold my beer.
Metta World Peace 2.0, I like the move.
Shake is better than Smart at this stage of their careers (Shake’s only 28). If this is a straight up swap (and it pretty much has to be) they haven’t gotten any better.
Shake Milton isn’t better than anyone in the NBA at this stage of his career. I wouldn’t be surprised if the season started without him on a roster
While I really like this move for the lakers, I really hope they can do a trade to clear up salary (like trade Gabe or Vando).
Goodwin is a very good on ball defender, great rebounder, especially offensive for his size and position, and a great disrupter on defense. Plus, he shot 39% from the 3 last year and was very effective with his 2 pointers too. He can be a very good on call defender off the bench. Prefer him over Gabe.