Marcus Smart

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Redick, Smart, Doncic

December 6th, 2025 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

LeBron James has almost reached the limit of games he can miss and still qualify for postseason awards, but Lakers coach JJ Redick indicated that won’t be a factor in deciding when he’ll play, writes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register (subscription required). James was held out of Friday’s loss in Boston and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s contest in Philadelphia due to right sciatica and left foot joint arthritis. He has already missed 16 games, so he can only skip one more under the 65-game rule.

“LeBron and I talk very regularly. Mike (Mancias, James’ longtime athletic trainer and the Lakers’ athletic performance liaison) and I talk regularly. It’s never come up as something that’s important,” Redick said. “The biggest thing as we got closer to training camp was getting him healthy, and then as we started the season, getting healthy enough to play, and then re-acclimating him. I want all my guys to get whatever award they deserve. Austin (Reaves), Luka (Doncic), LeBron, like whoever, I want them to get awards. That’s great for them, but it’s not – the list of things that you have to worry about and think about as a player and coach, it’s so far down the list.”

James was sidelined for the first 14 games of the season with sciatica and didn’t make his debut until November 18. He has appeared in six games and is averaging 14 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 32.8 minutes per night with .413/.259/.550 shooting numbers. He’ll turn 41 later this month, so limiting the wear and tear on his body is Redick’s primary concern.

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Marcus Smart will miss his sixth straight game on Sunday and his injury designation has changed, Price adds. He’s now dealing with a left lumbar muscle strain rather than lower back injury management. Smart has appeared in 14 games and made nine starts in his first season with L.A.
James’ historic streak of double-digit scoring games was snapped at 1,297 Thursday at Toronto, Price states in a separate story. James had eight points going into the final possession when he opted to pass to Rui Hachimura, who sank a game-winning three-pointer. “Just playing the game the right way,” James said. “You always make the right play. That’s just been my M.O. That’s how I was taught the game. I’ve done that my whole career. There was not even one second-guessing that.”
Doncic and his fiancée announced the birth of their second child Saturday in an Instagram post, per Thuc Nhi Nguyen of The Los Angeles Times (subscription required). Doncic didn’t play in Friday’s game, but he has been removed from the team’s injury report for Sunday.

Lakers Notes: Vanderbilt, Smart, Doncic, More

December 4th, 2025 at 3:01pm CST by Luke Adams

After playing in each of the Lakers‘ first 14 games of the season, veteran forward Jarred Vanderbilt has been a DNP-CD for the team’s past six contests. Vanderbilt has dealt with numerous injuries that have limited his availability in recent years, but he’s healthy now, prompting head coach JJ Redick to explain earlier this week why the 26-year-old isn’t in the rotation.

“He’s been a pro. He’s been great,” Redick said (Twitter link via Dave McMenamin of ESPN). “In the most recent stay-ready (game) that we had this week, he was great. He’s been a great teammate, so no surprise there.

“I had communicated to him, even before LeBron (James) came back, that there were certain things that he needed to be able to do consistently to play before LeBron came back, after LeBron came back. And that there potentially was going to be a numbers crunch because we were probably going to play a nine-man rotation. And that was just the reality.

Redick went on to say that he didn’t want to tweak the rotation too much during a hot streak – the Lakers had won seven games in a row prior to Monday’s loss to Phoenix – but that Vanderbilt could eventually find himself regaining a more regular role, especially if the team loses anyone due to an injury.

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Lakers guard Marcus Smart (lower back injury management) will miss a fourth straight game on Thursday in Toronto, while star guard Luka Doncic sits out for personal reasons. According to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops, Doncic has returned to his home country of Slovenia for the birth of his second child. His status for games in Boston on Friday and Philadelphia on Sunday is unclear.
Law Murray of The Athletic and Thuc Nhi Nguyen of The Los Angeles Times take stock of where the Lakers stand at the one-quarter mark of the 2025/26 season. At 15-5, the team is on pace for a 60-win season, but has a relatively modest net rating of +3.1, the 12th-best mark in the NBA. The Lakers’ record is buoyed by the fact that they’re the only team without a loss in a “clutch” game, defined as a game within five points with fewer than five minutes remaining — Los Angeles is 6-0 in that situation.
Within a look at a few potential contenders trying to challenge Oklahoma City in the Western Conference, Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports notes that three-point shooting is an area the Lakers may look to address on the trade market. Los Angeles currently ranks 25th in the NBA in made three-pointers per game.
If Giannis Antetokounmpo were to request a trade out of Milwaukee, could the Lakers make a legitimate play for him? Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report considers that question and outlines what a trade package centered around breakout guard Austin Reaves might look like.

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Smart, Ayton, Kleber, Luka, Reaves, Borrego

December 1st, 2025 at 8:32pm CST by Rory Maher

As expected, LeBron James is not on the Lakers‘ injury report for Monday’s game vs. Phoenix, which indicates he’ll be available to play, as Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group tweets.

The superstar forward sat out Sunday’s game with what the team called left foot injury management. Head coach JJ Redick explained prior to the win over New Orleans that Los Angeles was “just being cautious” with James, who has been dealing with a foot issue, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter links). Redick added that the team hopes to have James available for back-to-backs in the future.

The NBA’s oldest player extended his own league record last season by making his 21st consecutive All-NBA team — no other player has more than 15 total All-NBA appearances. James, who missed the first 14 games of the season due to sciatica on his right side, must play in 61 of the Lakers’ final 63 games in order to remain eligible to continue that streak, due to the 65-game rule.

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While James will return tonight, veteran guard Marcus Smart will miss his third straight game — and his injury designation has changed from lower back spasms to lower back injury management, Price notes. Redick expressed confidence on Monday that the 31-year-old would be back sooner rather later, calling him day-to-day, per Jovan Buha (Twitter link). “We expect him to be back soon,” Redick said. “It’s not a long-term thing.”
Starting center Deandre Ayton appeared to aggravate a right knee bruise in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game, an injury which cost him about a game-and-a-half last week, Woike tweets. However, the Lakers held a comfortable lead at the time and the former No. 1 overall pick isn’t on the team’s injury report ahead of Monday’s game.
As Woike details in an entertaining story for The Athletic, during a poor stretch of play in the third quarter in which their lead was trimmed to 11 points, backup big man Maxi Kleber inexplicably air-balled an open layup on an and-one attempt (YouTube link), causing his teammates on the bench to start laughing. “We were just caught off guard. … We all thought he was going to dunk it. … Shot a fade-away layup. Crazy,” Gabe Vincent said Sunday. The Lakers immediately went on an 8-0 run after the moment of levity, which also served as a reminder of the good vibes around the team — the players often make fun of each other in a lighthearted way, Woike writes. “It’s very important,” Kleber said. “It’s a long season. Obviously, this was a funny play. But it could be serious, where we have a bad stretch, or a bad game, and it’s important that we stick together as a team. And that we can laugh about things and just work it out and not take it too hard. Because we know we’re good. And I think it helps to regain focus quickly.”
It wasn’t the prettiest game, but the Lakers won their seventh straight contest on Sunday to improve to 15-4 on the season. Backcourt stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves combined for 67 points and 15 assists, notes Thuc Nhi Nguyen of The Los Angeles Times, becoming just the fourth pair of teammates in the past 50 years to each score at least 30 points in three consecutive games. “The gravity that he has on the court, it’s impossible to guard him any certain way because [of] his ability to pass the ball, his unselfishness and his shot-making ability,” Reaves said of Doncic. “Then, once you blitz him, then you have advantage basketball and we like our chances.”
Prior to Sunday’s game, Pelicans interim head coach James Borrego reflected on being a finalist for the Lakers’ coaching vacancy during the 2024 offseason, which ultimately went to Redick (Twitter video link via Dave McMenamin of ESPN). “I grew up a Lakers fan, number one, so to come here and interview for the job was so surreal and like a dream,” Borrego said in part.

Injury Notes: Sasser, LeBron, Smart, M. Williams, Dunn, Butler

November 30th, 2025 at 5:03pm CST by Rory Maher

Third-year guard Marcus Sasser, who has yet to play in 2025/26 after sustaining a right hip impingement during the preseason, has been assigned to the G League to practice with the Motor City Cruise, the Pistons announced today (Twitter link via Hunter Patterson of The Athletic).

Just over three weeks ago, Detroit said Sasser would be reevaluated in about four weeks, so that exam should come in the near future. Given that he’s getting some practice reps in with the Cruise, Sasser’s season debut may not be far off either.

After a strong rookie year, the 25-year-old point guard was in and out of the rotation out last season. He wound up appearing in 57 games and averaging 6.6 points, 1.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 14.2 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .463/.382/.843.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

After initially being listed as questionable, Lakers star LeBron James was subsequently ruled out of Sunday’s matchup vs. New Orleans because of left foot injury management, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN. As McMenamin notes, Sunday is the front end of a back-to-back — Los Angeles faces Phoenix on Monday. Marcus Smart will miss his second straight game Sunday due to back spasms, per the NBA’s official injury report. The veteran guard was initially deemed doubtful.
Suns center Mark Williams (right calf soreness) and forward Ryan Dunn were questionable for Saturday’s loss to Denver before being downgraded to out. Head coach Jordan Ott discussed the status of both players prior to the game, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter video link). “The (right) knee was doing well,” Ott said of Williams. “Something independently just popped up (during Friday’s loss at OKC) with the calf. Don’t think it’s too serious. We want to play the long game with him. He’s done a great job of building back up and being available for us.” Dunn, meanwhile, has missed the past five games with a right wrist sprain. “He’s in a good place. He’s only been out six or seven days, however (long) it’s been,” Ott said of the 2024 first-round pick. “It’s just a pain tolerance, flexibility. Of course it’s the shooting wrist. Things are in a good place. We’ll continue to assess, but I would imagine it’s relatively soon (when he returns).”
Warriors forward Jimmy Butler took a hard fall during Saturday’s win over New Orleans but is optimistic he’ll be ready to go on Tuesday against Oklahoma City, as Anthony Slater of ESPN relays (Twitter video link). Through 19 games (31.7 MPG) this season, the six-time All-Star is averaging 20.2 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 5.2 APG and 1.6 SPG on .527/.436/.856 shooting.

Pacific Notes: Doncic, Reaves, LeBron, Schröder, Curry, Richard

November 29th, 2025 at 10:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Luka Doncic faced the Mavericks again Friday night, but the game lacked the drama of last season’s matchup, writes Dan Woike of The Athletic. Nearly 10 months have passed for Doncic to process the unexpected trade to the Lakers, and the man who made it, Dallas general manager Nico Harrison, has already been fired. So with the emotional stakes lowered, Doncic concentrated on business and delivered 35 points, five rebounds and 11 assists in L.A.’s 129-119 victory.

“I would say it’s a little bit easier now,” Doncic said. “But like I said, games against Dallas always have some special meaning to me. I still have a lot of friends there. It’s always special. It’ll always be special for me.”

The spotlight also belonged to Austin Reaves, who has become one of the NBA’s best offensive players in the midst of a contract year. He led all scorers with 38 points, and Woike suggests he might be headed for his first All-Star appearance.

“I think he’s been one of the best basketball players in this league, just the way he scores, he makes a place for others in the game,” Doncic said before taking a playful jab at his teammate. “It’s very good. I’m just happy he’s on my team. And that’s probably the last compliment I ever give him.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Lakers are listing LeBron James as questionable for Sunday’s game with New Orleans due to left foot injury management, relays Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). It’s the first night of a back-to-back for L.A., which hosts Phoenix on Monday. Marcus Smart, who didn’t play Friday due to back spasms, is doubtful.
Kings guard Dennis Schröder underwent an MRI that showed he has a mild hip flexor strain, tweets James Ham of The Kings Beat. Schröder, who recently lost his starting job, is considered day-to-day and is questionable for Sunday’s game with Memphis.
The Warriors have the league’s worst offensive rating without Stephen Curry, who will miss at least a week with a right quad contusion. Anthony Slater of the Athletic shares comments from coach Steve Kerr about the challenges of scoring without his star guard.
Will Richard‘s low turnover rate has helped him claim a spot in the Warriors‘ starting and closing lineups, notes Scott Ostler of The San Francisco Chronicle. The 56th pick in this year’s draft has quickly earned a major rotation role as well as his coach’s confidence. “You can see it,” Kerr said, “he’s just in the right spot, the right time. He has a lot of confidence, he’s not afraid to let it fly. Never turns it over, just connects the game, he makes the game easier for everyone else. He’s kind of wise beyond his years. I’ve got 100% trust in him.”

Lakers Notes: Hachimura, AD, LaRavia, Smart, Christie

November 28th, 2025 at 10:05pm CST by Rory Maher

Ahead of Friday’s matchup with Dallas, Rui Hachimura said he’s satisfied with the role he has with the Lakers, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter video link).

“I’m not trying to be a superstar. … I’m just trying to help the team win — whatever they ask,” Hachimura said. “I like my role here … I’m really trying to win the championship with this team. I like how they’ve been treating me. … So, I’m happy.”

The former lottery pick (No. 9 overall in 2019) has gotten off to a strong offensive start in 2025/26, averaging 14.9 points per game on elite efficiency (.568/.483/.735 shooting line) while chipping in 3.9 rebounds per game through 16 outings (33.5 MPG). The 27-year-old forward is earning approximately $18.3MM this season and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026 if he doesn’t sign an extension before then.

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Hachimura admitted he hasn’t gotten used to seeing Anthony Davis in an opposing team’s uniform, according to Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group (Twitter video link). “It’s still weird sometimes when I see him on the TV or like, when I play against him. It feels weird,” Hachimura said. Davis returned to action on Friday for his first game against his former team after missing a month with a calf strain. The 10-time All-Star received a “warm reception” from Lakers fans when he was introduced as a starter for the Mavericks, tweets Mark Medina.
In an EssentiallySports interview with Medina, free agent addition Jake LaRavia says he’s enjoying his time with Los Angeles, adding that the “vibes on our team are very good.” “It’s been great,” LaRavia told Medina. “We have a great group of guys. Just to be able to play with AR (Austin Reaves), Luka (Doncic) and ‘Bron (LeBron James) has really been beneficial for me. It’s a very exciting team. It’s a great city. There are great fans. So the whole experience so far has been really good.”
After previously being listed as questionable, Marcus Smart was then downgraded to doubtful and then out ahead of Friday’s game, as McMenamin relays (via Twitter). The former Defensive Player of the Year is dealing with back spasms.
Mavericks guard Max Christie, who was included alongside Davis in the blockbuster trade for Doncic, downplayed the significance of facing his former team again. “It’s the same. I mean I was here last year, too. I’m a Maverick so I’m not really thinking about it like that. It’s just another game,” Christie said (Twitter link via Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News). “It feels good. It’s cool to be back. Just another game.”

Pacific Notes: Clippers, Lakers, Gillespie, Kings, LaVine

November 27th, 2025 at 8:36pm CST by Rory Maher

Star guard James Harden remains confident the struggling Clippers can turn things around after a disappointing 5-13 start to the season, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Los Angeles has a pair of seemingly winnable matchups on tap, facing Memphis (7-12) on Friday and then Dallas (5-14) on Saturday.

“What else are we going to do? Confidence (comes) every day when we wake up, right?” the 12-time All-Star said after the Clippers’ 135-118 loss to the Lakers on Tuesday. “We got a lot of games left where we can hit a stride, but we’ve dealt with literally everything you can do from injuries to different lineup changes. …We’re figuring it out. But tonight was a good step, start for us.”

According to Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link), Harden is dealing foot soreness but he is not listed on Friday’s injury report. Veteran wing Bogdan Bogdanovic has been ruled out for a fourth consecutive game due to a left hip contusion, Murray adds.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Lakers anticipate having Deandre Ayton back for Friday’s game vs. Dallas, listing their starting center as probable to play after he missed Tuesday’s contest with a right knee contusion, tweets Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group. Marcus Smart‘s status is more uncertain, as he’s questionable against the Mavericks due to back spasms.
Amid injuries to Jalen Green (right hamstring strain), Grayson Allen (right quad contusion) and Ryan Dunn (right wrist sprain), Collin Gillespie received his first start of the season on Wednesday and played well, recording 21 points and nine assists in 34 minutes during the victory in Sacramento. Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic wonders whether the former Villanova point guard has done enough this season to warrant consideration for a full-time starting role when the Suns are back at full strength. Green, Allen and Dunn will all be sidelined again on Friday at Oklahoma City, Rankin notes (via Twitter).
Heading into Wednesday’s game, the Kings had won two straight contests after an eight-game losing streak. They experienced another setback on Wednesday, according to Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee, with Zach LaVine setting the wrong type of tone early by committing consecutive turnovers on the team’s first two offensive possessions. The Kings trailed by 25 points after the first period and never held a lead in the eventual 12-point loss. “Not good,” said LaVine, who finished with 13 points (on 5-of-14 shooting) and six turnovers. “We’re frustrated we’re not winning. Guys are frustrated they’re not playing right or playing the way to best suit them. We’re all trying our heart out though. That’s what we get paid for.”

Pacific Notes: Harden, Christie, DeRozan, J. Green, Smart

November 23rd, 2025 at 1:56pm CST by Rory Maher

Entering Saturday’s matinee game at Charlotte, the Clippers were just 4-11 and had lost three straight games. Former MVP James Harden put the team on his back to lead Los Angeles to a 15-point victory, setting a franchise record by scoring an extremely efficient 55 points — he was 17-of-26 from the field, including 10-of-16 from three-point range, writes Law Murray of The Athletic.

The 36-year-old guard, who also had seven assists and three rebounds in his 35 minutes, erupted for a career-high 27 points in the first quarter. Harden has now scored 50-plus points 25 times, Murray notes, tying Kobe Bryant for the third-most 50-point games in NBA history — he only trails Wilt Chamberlain (118) and Michael Jordan (31).

“Needed a win,” said Harden, who led the league in scoring three years in a row as a Rocket. “At this point, it’s about winning. So, I had to do what I had to do.”

Harden tied Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic for the highest-scoring game of the season, notes ESPN News Services.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Veteran forward DeMar DeRozan expressed uncertainty about his future with the Kings after they lost their eighth straight game on Thursday. Following Saturday’s victory in Denver, Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee asked Doug Christie about DeRozan’s comments and how he handles those situations as the head coach (Twitter video link). “When it comes to the business of basketball, I talk to all of our players,” Christie said. “So I’m open to any of that communication, because they know I’ve been through it before. I understand. All of that stuff is extremely difficult. … It’s part of what we do. The trade deadline comes, all these different things happen and we have to deal with it.”
While Suns guard Jalen Green is “a little bummed” that he’ll miss Monday’s game against Houston, his former team, his overall attitude remains positive and he has been supporting his teammates on the sidelines, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “Guys got their head down, I’m always going to pick somebody up,” Green said. “I would want that reciprocated if y’all see me like that. I know I’m a leader of this team, one of the leaders of the team. My voice is important. I know energy is important, too.” Green is recovering from a hamstring injury that has plagued him since training camp.
With LeBron James back in the Lakers‘ starting lineup on Tuesday, Marcus Smart was moved to the bench and played a season-low 17 minutes. Smart says he tries to find ways to impact the game regardless of his role, per Thuc Nhi Nguyen of The Los Angeles Times. “I like to [think of] myself as a Swiss Army knife,” Smart said Saturday as the Lakers prepared for a game at Utah on Sunday. “It’s not one thing I do great, but I do everything very well. … People come back, people get hurt. People have great games, have bad games. You have to adjust to whatever the game is calling for at that moment.”

Lakers Notes: Hachimura, Thiero, Game Ball, LeBron, AD

November 16th, 2025 at 8:28am CST by Rory Maher

Rui Hachimura missed his first game of the season on Saturday in Milwaukee due to a sore left calf, an issue Lakers head coach JJ Redick said the starting forward had been dealing with “all week,” writes Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group.

“With a back-to-back, probably just smart to hold him out,” Redick said. “But I don’t think it will be a lingering thing. We’ll miss him. It feels like every game I’m coaching, it’s this way. So, nothing changes.”

Marcus Smart (viral illness) was also ruled out of Saturday’s game, with Bronny James and Jake LaRavia sliding into the starting lineup. It was James’ first start of the season and second of his career, Price notes. The 2024 second-round pick has been part of the rotation amid backcourt injuries this fall, though he only played 10 minutes against the Bucks, below his season average of 11.9 MPG.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

Rookie forward Adou Thiero made his NBA debut in Saturday’s lopsided win, recording four points and one rebound in a little under five minutes of action. As Dave McMenamin of ESPN details, while the outcome of the game was never in question, there was a minor controversy after the final buzzer ended. Jarred Vanderbilt was holding the game ball to give it to Thiero for scoring his first career points, but apparently crew chief Pat Fraher had other plans, as he took the ball from Vanderbilt and gave it to a Bucks team attendant, telling players it belonged to Milwaukee. “[Fraher] said he’s going to write me up,” Vanderbilt told ESPN. “I don’t know what the hell he’s talking about. These refs, they just want to have their power or something, I don’t know. I don’t know what he was reaching for. That’s been a thing since way before I was in the league. What, was he going to take the ball home or something?“
According to McMenamin, Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo intervened at center court, taking the ball from the attendant and handing it to Luka Doncic, who presented the ball to Thiero in the Lakers’ locker room. “At first I didn’t realize it was all for me,” said Thiero, who was selected No. 36 overall in June’s draft. “But I’m very thankful for this team. I think that shows how connected we are and how much we want each other to succeed.”
LeBron James, who practiced two times with the team’s G League affiliate in recent days, could make his season debut as soon as Tuesday, McMenamin adds. The 40-year-old star has been recovering from sciatica on his right side.
Before sending him to Dallas in February as part of the Doncic blockbuster, the Lakers quietly gauged trade interest in Anthony Davis last December, per Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. Siegel hears those December conversations centered around the possibility of dealing Davis during the 2025 offseason, not before the February trade deadline, but obviously things changed when the Lakers were presented with the opportunity to acquire Doncic.

Marcus Smart Says Grizzlies’ Downturn Was Predictable

November 15th, 2025 at 9:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Marcus Smart‘s disappointing year-and-a-half with the Grizzlies ended with a trade to Washington in February, and he’s not surprised by the chaos the franchise has undergone since he left. In an interview with Josue Pavon of ClutchPoints, Smart said there were clear indications that a breakdown was coming.

“Way better. You see what’s going on now,” Smart said. “That started with me. I came back from injury, and I got traded because they said I didn’t want to be there. I’m injured. What do you mean, I don’t want to be here? I’m here every day working my ass off, cheering. I’m the only one on the bench coaching, but you know how it is. Control what you can control.”

Smart only appeared in 19 games with the Grizzlies last year — and 39 total during his time with the franchise — before being shipped to the Wizards. A few weeks after he left, the team fired head coach Taylor Jenkins with nine games left in the regular season, replacing him with assistant Tuomas Iisalo, and was swept out of the playoffs in the first round.

This season is off to a disastrous start as Memphis fell to 4-10 after losing Saturday in Cleveland. Iisalo’s unorthodox substitution patterns haven’t been popular with players, and they led to a rift with star guard Ja Morant that resulted in a one-game suspension.

Although his time in Memphis didn’t work out well, Smart stated that he doesn’t harbor any animosity toward the organization.

“I wish nothing but the best for them. Those guys — they work their ass off,” he added. “But you could definitely see this coming, and now, this is what you get.”

The Grizzlies were among the top teams in the West for most of last season and were still in the race to host a playoff series when Jenkins was dismissed. However, they stumbled down the stretch and finished as the No. 8 seed, which required them to go through the play-in tournament. They lost to Golden State before beating Dallas to claim the West’s final playoff spot.

Smart said there were plenty of warning signs before he was traded that things were about to go badly.

“You could see it. Even when I was there, me and (current Lakers teammate) Jake (LaRavia),” he said. “You could see just how they were handling things, going about things. And it’s unfortunate — you’ve got some good talent over there. It’s unfortunate. Hopefully, they can get it together.”

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