No one yet knows how Los Angeles Lakers’ newly-added players will pan out next season, but what can be said definitively is that the team did not hesitate to overhaul the roster this summer.
The goal was really as simple as this: assemble a roster that works around superstar point guard Luka Doncic. The Lakers added athleticism and got much younger … well, that was going to happen anyway after some dude with a forest of gray in his beard decided to walk away in free agency.
But that dude wasn’t the only key piece the Lakers lost; in fact, not a single player who started for the team in Game 1 against the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs is on the roster. Not one. That includes former fan-favorite guard Marcus Smart, who inked a contract with those very Rockets in free agency.
Smart’s Loss Considered a Big One for Lakers
The Lakers welcomed Smart two Julys ago after the veteran guard completed a buyout agreement with the Washington Wizards. In his lone season as a Laker, Smart averaged 9.3 points and 3.0 assists and, of course, did all the little-big things that don’t show up in the box score. The Lakers decided not to retain Smart despite a productive season, and Lakers Roundtable’s Jeremy Lambert believes the team will feel Smart’s absence loud and clear next season.
“Smart was everything the Lakers needed him to be last season, connecting the team on offense and defense,” Lambert wrote. “He would often take the toughest assignments on the perimeter, still proving to be one of the better on-ball defenders in the league. He acted as a secondary playmaker with the injuries to LeBron (James), Luka, and (Austin) Reaves throughout the season, and as a spacer when the team was healthy. Lineups with Reaves, Doncic, and Smart had a +23.2 net rating in 434 minutes. That’s not a small size and goes to show how well he played alongside the two Lakers’ stars who are returning. He and Reaves had a +18 net rating when they were on the floor together, and a +5.7 net rating with Luka was off, showing they could provide a positive impact together when the stars sat. Of all the players not wearing purple and gold next season, Smart’s loss will be felt the most.”
For a player who was written off following his stint with the Boston Celtics, Smart, a former Defensive Player of the Year, rebuilt his stock around the league after his one season with the Lakers. Smart was especially productive during L.A.’s furious late-season stretch from mid-February to the start of April, when only the top two teams in the Western Conference recorded more wins.
Did L.A. Want Smart Back?
The safer answer may be no, considering the Lakers made it a goal to overhaul the roster.
Asked about Smart’s departure, Lakers insider Jovan Buha pointed more to Smart as the reason for the guard’s split from L.A.
“I don’t have great clarity on this, and there’s differing accounts of how it all went down,” Lakers insider Jovan Buha said on the Third Apron Podcast (h/t Lakers Nation). “But my understanding is that, to some degree, Smart was ready to move forward in a different situation.”
To their credit, the Lakers did more than merely replace Smart. L.A. signed guard Collin Sexton to a multiyear deal in free agency. Sexton, who is five years younger than Smart, has averaged 18 points per game over his eight NBA seasons.
Sexton isn’t the championship-tested veteran who plays elite defense, but he could soon prove to be one of the Lakers’ top signings of the 2026 offseason.
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