The Los Angeles Lakers brought Marcus Smart on a small deal last season in hopes of getting his career back on track. Alongside LeBron James, Austin Reaves, and Luka Doncic, he did just that, being an aggressor for the Lakers.
However, this summer, both sides decided to go their separate ways. Smart went on to sign with the Houston Rockets.
“Free agent guard Marcus Smart has agreed on a two-year, $13 million deal with the Houston Rockets, plus a player option for the second season, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania. Smart made the decision Wednesday morning, with his agents Jason Glushon and Josh Ketroser informing Rockets officials, according to Charania," ESPN wrote.
The veteran guard has been somewhat vocal about the situation as the season nears. First, Smart revealed that he didn’t like any of the offers the Lakers were giving him.
“First off, I played so well that the offer that was ultimately given didn’t match the way that I played. Especially when you see guys who played way worse than I did, the offers they’re getting. And then it wasn’t any security that we wanted that they were willing to do,” Smart said.
He was recently asked again about why he didn’t go back to LA. This time, he revealed a little more, mentioning that the Lakers ultimately wanted to get younger.
“I thought I played well enough to at least be offered a decent deal to return but no they wanted to go in a different direction. They wanted to go younger and that’s what they did,” Smart stated.
From all of the information that Smart has given, it sounds like LA tried to keep him on a small deal, but he wasn’t interested. By that time, both sides had moved on, allowing the Lakers to put their full attention on younger talent.
Smart is now with Kevin Durant and other stars in Houston, which prides itself on defense. He will fit right in with the philosophy of the organization and head coach Ime Udoka.
