Marcus Smart agrees to Wizards buyout, will sign with longtime Celtics rival

Former Celtics guard Marcus Smart has agreed to a buyout with the Washington Wizards and will sign a two-year, $11 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Saturday afternoon.

Smart, who spent the first 9 years of his NBA career with the Boston Celtics, was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in 2023, where he spent a season and a half. Smart struggled in Memphis, grappling with a myriad of injuries in his first year and averaging 8.7 points per game on 35.8% shooting in his second with the Grizzlies.

Ahead of last year’s trade deadline, the defensive-minded guard was traded to the Washington Wizards, where he spent the final few months of the season. In DC, he averaged 9.3 points per game in 18.7 minutes, shooting 39.2% from three-point range.

Smart signed a four-year, $76.5 million contract with the Celtics in 2022 and was traded one year into that deal. He had one year remaining on his contract with the Wizards at just over $21.5 million. After the buyout, he’s reportedly agreed to sign a two-year, $11 million contract with the Lakers that will keep him under contract through his age-32 season.

Marcus Smart brings a defensive-oriened mindset to the Lakers

Now, he joins a Lakers team headlined by LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves that also added DeAndre Ayton via the buyout market this offseason. Last year, the Lakers finished with the league’s 7th-best record in the Western Conference, falling to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs.

Instantly, Smart brings a defensive presence to the Lakers; he’s the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year. He’s a three-time All-Defense team member, and a three-time NBA Hustle award winner. For his career, he’s averaged 1.6 steals per game.