The Los Angeles Lakers are nearing adding former Defensive Player of the Year winner, Marcus Smart, to their roster.
Following a first-round exit in the 2025 NBA Playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers have made some decent moves this summer.
Although the Lakers lost Dorian Finney-Smith to the Houston Rockets for free, in hindsight, that decision has helped the team improve.
After already adding Deandre Ayton and Jake LaRavia, the Lakers are reportedly closing in on signing Marcus Smart. The former DPOY recently completed a contract buyout with the Washington Wizards.
If the move goes through, Smart will be an excellent addition for the Purple and Gold. But what about his fit with Lakers head coach JJ Redick?
Well, it seems like that coach Redick already loves Smart’s playing style. It’s evident from what Redick said about Smart in an episode of The Old Man & The Three podcast.
“I love Marcus. If I make a basketball team, I want Marcus on it. He gets under your skin, he competes,” Redick said. “You know there’s a level of flopping in his game through the Marcus Smart Experience, but that overshadows all the other stuff that he does.
The current Lakers coach added: “He is a guy that just makes winning plays consistently… I just enjoy watching him play and compete like that.”
While Redick admitted that Smart flops during games, it is overshadowed by the upsides the 31-year-old brings to the court.
Smart averaged 9.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game last season, but as usual, he was a menace on the defensive end of the floor on most nights.
The Lakers are expected to use the bi-annual exception to sign Smart to a two-year, $11 million deal. It’s an incredibly cheap price for a former DPOY.
However, as things stand right now, the Lakers do not have room on their roster to take on Smart’s reported deal. As a result, they need to waive or trade players to officially welcome Smart to LA.
As much as Gilbert Arenas doesn’t want Smart to become a Laker, the organization has an easy solution to their problem.
They can simply waive Shake Milton and Jordan Goodwin to make room. Should the Lakers do this? Absolutely. After all, along with a defensive juggernaut, coach Redick seemingly thinks highly of him.
