The Los Angeles Lakers‘ hopes of bringing Marcus Smart back next season may have become significantly more complicated.
After emerging as one of the team’s most impactful veterans during its playoff run, Smart is reportedly giving serious consideration to testing free agency—and a familiar coach could lure him away.
According to NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, the Houston Rockets are expected to pursue Smart if the former NBA Defensive Player of the Year declines his $5.4 million player option before Monday’s deadline.
For the Lakers, the latest report introduces legitimate competition for one of their top offseason priorities.
Rockets Emerge as Serious Marcus Smart Threat
Getty Ime Udoka and Marcus Smart forged a strong bond in Boston during the 2021-22 season.
Stein and Fischer reported late Friday that Houston has become a legitimate landing spot if Smart reaches unrestricted free agency.
“The Rockets do, however, loom as a possible free agent destination for another one of Udoka’s former players in Boston: Marcus Smart,” the insiders wrote in The Stein Line late Friday night.
“League sources say that Smart, who is expected to draw interest from Houston and possibly other teams in free agency, is very much giving consideration to declining his $5.4 million player option for next season with the Lakers before Monday’s deadline to do so and then proceed to the open market.”
The connection extends well beyond familiarity.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka coached Smart during the 2021-22 season in Boston, when the veteran guard captured the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, becoming the first guard since Gary Payton in 1996 to earn the honor.
That same season, Smart and Udoka helped lead the Celtics to the NBA Finals. Boston took a 2-1 series lead over Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors before ultimately falling in six games.
Given that shared history, Houston could offer Smart not only a larger contract but also a reunion with the coach who oversaw the best season of his career.
Lakers Want Marcus Smart Back
The interest in a reunion is mutual.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported earlier this month that the Lakers are eager to retain Smart after acquiring him during the season.
“The Lakers are interested in retaining Marcus Smart,” McMenamin reported, adding that Luka Doncic personally recruited the veteran guard to Los Angeles.
According to ESPN, Smart embraced his role with the Lakers and is seeking a new multiyear contract that includes a raise over his current $5.4 million player option.
Declining that option would allow the 32-year-old to negotiate a longer deal on the open market.
Smart’s Value Extends Beyond Box Score
Smart’s box-score numbers only tell part of the story.
Despite arriving midway through the season, the veteran guard led all Lakers players in plus-minus at +256, per Statmuse, comfortably ahead of Luka Doncic (+187) and every other teammate.
His impact became even more pronounced during the postseason.
In 10 playoff games, Smart averaged 12.9 points, 5.1 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 1.0 blocks, giving Los Angeles another elite defender, secondary playmaker and emotional leader.
His best basketball came ironically, against the Rockets.
During the Lakers’ first-round win over Houston, Smart averaged 14.7 points, 5.5 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 steals and 1.7 blocks while shooting 44.8% from three-point range in six games, a dramatic improvement from his 33.1% mark during the regular season.
He consistently disrupted Houston’s offense on the defensive end while easing the playmaking burden on Doncic, underscoring why the Lakers view him as an ideal backcourt partner.
Although injuries limited Smart to 62 regular-season appearances, he still averaged 9.3 points, 3.0 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 28.5 minutes per game while posting the best on-court point differential on the roster.
Lakers Face Difficult Free Agency Decisions
The Lakers have the financial flexibility to keep Smart, but they also have several priorities competing for those resources.
Los Angeles projects to have nearly $50 million in salary-cap space, though much of it could be devoted to upgrading the center position, which Luka Doncic has made clear is the organization’s top roster priority.
The front office must also navigate decisions involving LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and Luke Kennard, while preserving flexibility for future roster upgrades around Doncic and Austin Reaves.
That balancing act could complicate negotiations with Smart just as another contender enters the picture.
For the Lakers, Stein and Fischer’s latest report serves as a warning.
Convincing Smart to return may no longer be the biggest challenge.
They may first have to outbid—and out-recruit—the coach who helped transform him into an NBA Defensive Player of the Year and guided him to the first NBA Finals appearance of his career while trying to keep one of the Lakers’ most impactful players from last season in Los Angeles.
Lakers Face New Competition to Keep Marcus Smart