[Shams] Marcus Smart to the L.A. Lakers 2 years/$11 million, after Wizards buyout

[Infinite Llamas]

Not even hating, I loved Lakers off season two years ago when they got Reeves back on that number. This is like a C offseason.

Read on Twitter

ayton such a bum he got bought out and blazers ate a bunch of dead money to just get him off the team. who even is jake laravia? smart had to have a first attached to trade him in February

They didn't add these 3 w/o a cost, they gave up DFS who is a better player than any of these 3.

Lol DFS is an okay role player, Ayton is a star they're not even comparable.

[BigGargamel]

Smart is close to being washed up. I don't see how this means a whole lot, but it's the Lakers, so the fact they did anything is amplified by a hundred.

Ayton would only be a big upgrade to a small handful of teams in the league, and one of those is a team that had to start Jaxson Hayes last year.

Calling Laravia and Smart "big time additions" is just the media doing what the media does. Trying to keep the Lakers relevant.

That Luka heist really helped sweep under the rug how bad this organization has been run the past few years. The roster is a mess. Luka is going to have to do some heavy lifting.

[metalinguss]

Not even hating, I loved Lakers off season two years ago when they got Reeves back on that number. This is like a C offseason.

Read on Twitter

ayton such a bum he got bought out and blazers ate a bunch of dead money to just get him off the team. who even is jake laravia? smart had to have a first attached to trade him in February

“Exceptional” lmao of course everything the Lakers do is amplified

[cupcakesnake]

Hardly a needle mover but a solid pick up. He's basically just a slightly better version of Gabe Vincent, solid defender who can shoot the three at a decent clip. At that contract and in a very specific role he can help.

"Slightly better version of Gabe Vincent" is pretty rude to a former DPOY who averaged 15 and 6 during the playoffs on a team that went to the finals. I assume you're saying he's washed due to injury?

Flatly, yes. He's not the same Marcus Smart that was an All Defensive Guard and DPOY. Injuries have worn his body down immensely. It's a solid pick up because the Lakers need more defensive guards when they have Luka and Reaves but they're getting basically what they get in Gabe Vincent; a solid defender who can shoot and give you 15-20 solid back up minutes.

Last year he was out with thumb injuries. He struggled with knee injuries the year before, but they were just knee contusions (no structural damage). In his on-court minutes last year, he looked fine in terms of mobility. Marcus Smart could continue to get hit with injuries but he's 31 and doesn't have a career-altering injury. I'm curious why you think he's washed due to injury. Is it because he's missed so much time the past 2 seasons? Or do you have a reason to think he's legitimately declined?

Some guys do hit their 30s pretty banged up and don't extend their prime. That is possible with Smart. I think there's plenty of reason to wait and see how he looks before calling him dead.

Stylistically, I just don't see the comparison to Gabe Vincent. Smart is much more erratic as a shooter, but is a way better playmaker. Defensively, Vincent has never been in the same conversations as Smart. I get that you're saying he's a slight upgrade on Vincent, which I probably agree with, but I don't think they're similar players. If Smart is good to go, he should be a massive difference maker on the defensive end.

[-Spyda-]

No matter what happens no matter which player the Lakers will sign/trade every non Lakers fans will be negative

Lolll

[LakersSoul]

Smart is close to being washed up. I don't see how this means a whole lot, but it's the Lakers, so the fact they did anything is amplified by a hundred.

Ayton would only be a big upgrade to a small handful of teams in the league, and one of those is a team that had to start Jaxson Hayes last year.

Calling Laravia and Smart "big time additions" is just the media doing what the media does. Trying to keep the Lakers relevant.

That Luka heist really helped sweep under the rug how bad this organization has been run the past few years. The roster is a mess. Luka is going to have to do some heavy lifting.

Big time addition is Luka last year and building around him!

Kept AR and Bron.

Added a legit center and kept Hayes, both lob threats. Then added good defensive role players, not big additions but not scrubs either. Smart, LaRavia, Ayton are great gets esp at near minimum/BAE levels.

All these while keeping our assets/picks and still holding Gabe, Vando, Bronny, Rui, Knecht, Hayes and adding a freak athlete wing Adou.

Few more tweaks and we could be ready for a playoff run!

[Jedi32]

Smart is close to being washed up. I don't see how this means a whole lot, but it's the Lakers, so the fact they did anything is amplified by a hundred.

Ayton would only be a big upgrade to a small handful of teams in the league, and one of those is a team that had to start Jaxson Hayes last year.

Calling Laravia and Smart "big time additions" is just the media doing what the media does. Trying to keep the Lakers relevant.

That Luka heist really helped sweep under the rug how bad this organization has been run the past few years. The roster is a mess. Luka is going to have to do some heavy lifting.

A lot of people recycle the lie that the Lakers have been so poorly run, but in the last 6 years they won a title, made the conference finals, missed the playoffs and had three first round exits. That's not 80s lakers excellence but it sure isn't a piss poor ran organization. They did that with old lebron and often injured AD. Not bad imo, especially when you have teams that haven't even sniffed a conference finals in that same time frame let alone won anything.

[magee]

A lot of people recycle the lie that the Lakers have been so poorly run, but in the last 6 years they won a title, made the conference finals, missed the playoffs and had three first round exits. That's not 80s lakers excellence but it sure isn't a piss poor ran organization. They did that with old lebron and often injured AD. Not bad imo, especially when you have teams that haven't even sniffed a conference finals in that same time frame let alone won anything.

Their hits outweigh the swings, even though* those the misses far outnumber the hits.

*Edit for grammar.

[bisme37]

I wasn't really trying to see Smart on the Lakers but I'm a fan and hope he has a good healthy season.

He's always been the guy who makes you yell YES! at your TV and then NO! 30 seconds later. The hope is you get more yeses over the course of 48 minutes and he doesn't try to do things he's not good at.

[mademan]

Smart is close to being washed up. I don't see how this means a whole lot, but it's the Lakers, so the fact they did anything is amplified by a hundred.

Ayton would only be a big upgrade to a small handful of teams in the league, and one of those is a team that had to start Jaxson Hayes last year.

Calling Laravia and Smart "big time additions" is just the media doing what the media does. Trying to keep the Lakers relevant.

That Luka heist really helped sweep under the rug how bad this organization has been run the past few years. The roster is a mess. Luka is going to have to do some heavy lifting.

A lot of people recycle the lie that the Lakers have been so poorly run, but in the last 6 years they won a title, made the conference finals, missed the playoffs and had three first round exits. That's not 80s lakers excellence but it sure isn't a piss poor ran organization. They did that with old lebron and often injured AD. Not bad imo, especially when you have teams that haven't even sniffed a conference finals in that same time frame let alone won anything.

Helps when every couple of years youre gifted a top 3 player

[bisme37]

In true RealGM fashion, a bunch of people who haven’t seriously engaged with the league in a few years are now acting like this is a steal lol. Just pure name recognition no analysis of the previous 3 years.

It never fails. Smart’s body is destroyed, he was so bad in Memphis they had to ATTACH a first just to get off his contract, and guards who play like crash dummies with 100% effort never age well. I doubt he’ll do anything significant for them before he inevitably gets hurt.

Yeah Smart did not work out in Memphis. Or Washington apparently.

NBA exec on Grizzlies: The Marcus Smart trade killed them

The Grizzlies have tried to take big swings in the trade market at various times in the last three years, including engaging the Phoenix Suns on Kevin Durant this year. However, the biggest one that actually got completed was dealing Tyus Jones and two first-rounders for Marcus Smart when he was just past his sell-by date in the summer of 2023. It’s somewhat ironic given that the Grizzlies have nailed so many small moves in the same period.

“The Marcus Smart trade killed them,” as one rival exec put it, costing them draft assets and a $20-million salary slot for a whole lot of not much. On a roster that couldn’t afford a miss once Jackson, Bane and Morant graduated to expensive veteran deals, Smart was nearly dead money. He was neither healthy nor happy in Memphis, and his level of play dropped off even when he was active; the Grizzlies ended up giving Washington another first just to move off the last year of his deal.
Source: New York Times

https://hoopshype.com/2025/05/02/nba-exec-on-grizzlies-the-marcus-smart-trade-killed-them/

[Jedi32]

Smart is close to being washed up. I don't see how this means a whole lot, but it's the Lakers, so the fact they did anything is amplified by a hundred.

Ayton would only be a big upgrade to a small handful of teams in the league, and one of those is a team that had to start Jaxson Hayes last year.

Calling Laravia and Smart "big time additions" is just the media doing what the media does. Trying to keep the Lakers relevant.

That Luka heist really helped sweep under the rug how bad this organization has been run the past few years. The roster is a mess. Luka is going to have to do some heavy lifting.

A lot of people recycle the lie that the Lakers have been so poorly run, but in the last 6 years they won a title, made the conference finals, missed the playoffs and had three first round exits. That's not 80s lakers excellence but it sure isn't a piss poor ran organization. They did that with old lebron and often injured AD. Not bad imo, especially when you have teams that haven't even sniffed a conference finals in that same time frame let alone won anything.

Helps when every couple of years youre gifted a top 3 player

Call it what you want. I highly doubt LeBron was still considered top 3 when he got here. Heck alot of folks here don't have Luka top 3,but hey gotta keep those realgm narratives alive somehow.

[mademan]

A lot of people recycle the lie that the Lakers have been so poorly run, but in the last 6 years they won a title, made the conference finals, missed the playoffs and had three first round exits. That's not 80s lakers excellence but it sure isn't a piss poor ran organization. They did that with old lebron and often injured AD. Not bad imo, especially when you have teams that haven't even sniffed a conference finals in that same time frame let alone won anything.

Helps when every couple of years youre gifted a top 3 player

Call it what you want. I highly doubt LeBron was still considered top 3 when he got here. Heck alot of folks here don't have Luka top 3,but hey gotta keep those realgm narratives alive somehow.

What narrative? No team gets gifted the top players that the Lakers get. They dont draft all of them...they get them in FA and trades without really ever having the best assets in the league. What would you call that? That's just an advantage they have that others dont

And Lebron wasnt considered top three in 2018? Coming off of one of the most impressive finals runs ever? Cmon man

This is what they call being born on third and thinking you hit a triple

[Jedi32]

Helps when every couple of years youre gifted a top 3 player

Call it what you want. I highly doubt LeBron was still considered top 3 when he got here. Heck alot of folks here don't have Luka top 3,but hey gotta keep those realgm narratives alive somehow.

What narrative? No team gets gifted the top players that the Lakers get. They dont draft all of them...they get them in FA and trades without really ever having the best assets in the league. What would you call that? That's just an advantage they have that others dont

And Lebron wasnt considered top three in 2018? Coming off of one of the most impressive finals runs ever? Cmon man

This is what they call being born on third and thinking you hit a triple

It's absolutely a narrative. Again when lebron came to the Lakers it was supposedly his retirement tour. He was coming for business purposes not to really play basketball. That's facts

[mademan]

Call it what you want. I highly doubt LeBron was still considered top 3 when he got here. Heck alot of folks here don't have Luka top 3,but hey gotta keep those realgm narratives alive somehow.

What narrative? No team gets gifted the top players that the Lakers get. They dont draft all of them...they get them in FA and trades without really ever having the best assets in the league. What would you call that? That's just an advantage they have that others dont

And Lebron wasnt considered top three in 2018? Coming off of one of the most impressive finals runs ever? Cmon man

This is what they call being born on third and thinking you hit a triple

It's absolutely a narrative. Again when lebron came to the Lakers it was supposedly his retirement tour. He was coming for business purposes not to really play basketball. That's facts

The guy was coming off possibly the most dominant playoff run we've seen this century. Did people think he would age like a normal person? Sure. But he was still absolutely a top 3 player at the time and its ludicrous to say otherwise.

https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/9hsscy/oc_top_100_players_for_the_201819_nba_season/

The aggregated rankings from the big media outlets going into the season still had him as the best player

[Wingy]

Are Smart's injury just freak accidents or is it one of those "lingering issues" thing?

man got a LOT of mileage in Boston and was prone to injuries already

It seems a lot are living in the past. I recall multiple Celtics fans calling his defense overrated and that he’d lost a step, and that was before he was shipped out of town two years, and multiple injuries later.

He always seemed a bit irrationally confident on offense given his shooting percentages. He could go on some heaters, but don’t see the consistency or how it’s a good fit with Luka and Lebron. I’d predict the guy’s going to go from (relative) hero to zero in the eyes of general fandom.

[duppyy]

Funny side note, why do they need Smart when they already have Bronny ?! That was his comparison!

Bronny being wiaved the second LeBron retires

[jirrit]

[Pacernation]

Why did the Wizards buy him out? Don't get it from their point of view tbh. Solid pickup for the Lakers I guess. Or is he that washed?

[Karmaloop]

Helps when every couple of years youre gifted a top 3 player

Unless you're being generous with calling Dwight Howard a top 3 player, it's been 3 in about 30 years. But keep licking your salt block.