Follow usMarcus Smart has agreed to a buyout deal with the Washington Wizards and plans to ink a 2-year, $11 million contract with the LA Lakers.
The guard, who is the Defensive Player of the Year 3 years ago and a 3-time All-Defense first-team member, will have a player option on his Los Angeles contract to enter a more flush 2026 free agency.
LA’s new franchise player, Luka Doncic, spoke with Marcus and shared that he wants him to become his teammate.
Luka Doncic recruited Marcus Smart to join the Lakers, per ESPN
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Smart, who made the postseason in each of his 1st 9 campaigns in the league with the Celtics, will now be again in a contender. Marcus missed the playoffs in the past 2 seasons with the Grizzlies and the Wizards.
Marcus appeared in only 54 matches in the last 2 campaigns because of injuries, and averaged a career-low 20 minutes per match in the past year.
The Suns and the Bucks also wanted to sign Marcus, but in the end, the Lakers convinced him that he is the right fit for the franchise, as Dorian Finney-Smith left, and that makes Smart a perfect replacement for his position.
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