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Last season, the Los Angeles Lakers took a risk by signing veteran Marcus Smart to a deal after his last couple of seasons had been injury-riddled. The move turned out to be a good one, as Smart was a hound on the defensive side of the ball.
There was hope that LA would be able to bring him back this summer, but that didn’t happen. Smart decided to test free agency after a prove-it type of year.
“Smart signed his deal with a player option with the idea that he could get a payday this summer if he played well. He did. BORD$ now values him at $11.6 million, so he can confidently test the market," The Athletic’s John Hollinger wrote.
The defensive menace went on to sign a contract with the Houston Rockets, which is the team the Lakers beat in the first round of the playoffs last season.
“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.
However, the real reason he decided not to stay in LA seems to be more than just getting a better contract. Smart admitted to feeling disrespected by the organization based on the deals they were putting together to offer 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.
It certainly makes a ton of sense why the guard didn’t want to re-sign with the Lakers. Perhaps LA was still worried about his injury history, so they didn’t want to commit to anything beyond this season.
The Rockets gave him a two-year deal, so even if an injury does occur, he still has somewhere to play next season. This was a genius move by Smart, but it was also one that came as a result of the Lakers playing their cards wrong.
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