The Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly promised Luka Doncic to "give him a locker room full of his type of players." That includes attempting to replicate and improve the roster he reached the 2024 NBA Finals with while he was a member of the Dallas Mavericks.
Though Marcus Smart isn't necessarily a carbon copy of the players on the 2023-24 Mavericks, the fact that Doncic personally recruited him to Los Angeles suggests he's "his type of player"—and that the Lakers will thus do everything in their power to bring him back.
Smart, 32, signed a two-year, $10,524,700 contract with the Lakers during the 2025 offseason. He has a $5,390,700 player option for the 2026-27 campaign, however, which gives him the right to enter unrestricted free agency in pursuit of a multi-year deal.
Regardless of what Smart opts to do, it's difficult to ignore the apparent correlation between his future and the promise the Lakers made to Doncic.
Doncic recruiting Smart to Los Angeles was one of the early examples of the sway that he appears to have with the front office. It was a relatively low-cost contract, but Smart had appeared in just 54 games over the previous two seasons due to steady bouts with injuries.
After Smart vindicated Doncic for vouching for him with a strong 2025-26 campaign, it stands to reason that the front office appeasing Doncic would include keeping one of his best teammates.
Lakers promised to fill locker room with Luka Doncic's "type of players"
Smart appeared in 62 games for the Lakers in 2025-26, starting 54. During that time, he reestablished himself as a high-level defender, capable scorer, and crafty playmaker, providing invaluable balance on both ends of the floor.
That translated to the playoffs, where Smart averaged 12.9 points, 5.1 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 2.4 steals, and 1.0 block per game as Los Angeles won its first playoff series since 2023.
The Lakers will now enter the 2026 offseason with a need for change and improvement on the roster front. Los Angeles' effort to create its own version of the team Doncic led to the 2024 NBA Finals will require it to find rim-running bigs, defensive-minded wings, and three-point shooters.
Though Smart doesn't perfectly fit the definition of what they'll be looking for in a Mavericks-adjacent landscape, his defensive prowess and history with Doncic certainly do.
By bringing Smart back, the Lakers would have a veteran who helps set the tone in the locker room and on the court. They'd also have a complementary playmaker who can act as something of a bridge between Doncic, Austin Reaves, and the rest of the offense.
Nothing is set in stone at this stage, but if the Doncic rumor is true, then one can't help but feel as though Smart fits the definition of "his type of players" based on how he ended up as a Laker.
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