The Los Angeles Lakers, after adding 3-point sniper Jake LaRavia and center Deandre Ayton earlier this month, are finally injecting some defense into their roster. They’re reportedly set to bring in veteran guard Marcus Smart after he agreed to a buyout of his contract with the Washington Wizards.
Smart, 31, is a below-average 3-point shooter and has been injury-prone over the last couple of seasons. But he has long been one of the NBA’s better defensive guards, and he’s just three years removed from being named the Defensive Player of the Year.
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According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Luka Doncic had a hand in bringing Smart to Los Angeles.
“Lakers All-NBA star Luka Doncic reached out to Smart and made it clear that he wanted to play with the two-way stalwart, sources said,” Charania wrote.
Smart has career averages of 10.6 points, 4.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He has a lifetime mark of 32.4% from 3-point range, but he did make 34.8% of his 3-point attempts this past season, albeit in a limited sample space of 34 games.
The Lakers have clearly been catering to Doncic in terms of personnel moves ever since they traded for him on Feb. 1. They got him the type of rim-running lob threat in Ayton he has wanted, and now they will have some defensive help on the perimeter.
Doncic will be eligible to sign a long-term contract extension on Aug. 2. As of now, he can decline his player option for the 2026-27 season next summer and become a free agent at that time.
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This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Luka Doncic had a hand in Marcus Smart coming to the Lakers