The Los Angeles Lakers let Marcus Smart walk in free agency to the rival Houston Rockets just one year after Luka Doncic recruited him to come to LA. Smart agreed a two-year deal worth $13 million from the Rockets. He declined a $5.4 million player option with the Lakers to become a free agent, so the team with a mountain of cap space could have easily afforded to up their offer by more than $1 million. This disastrous offseason continues as Smart leaves the Lakers just one day after LeBron James and Luke Kennard departed.
This is the second straight year that Rob Pelinka and the front office let a teammate Luka wanted to keep join the rival Rockets. Last summer, Houston stole Dorian Finney-Smith just months after the purple and gold gave up three second-round draft picks to acquire him. It ended up being a wise move for LA, but letting a conference rival take multiple key pieces is not a recipe for success.
Doncic recruited Smart because he knew the Lakers needed a point-of-attack defender to boost his game. Now, he walks to Houston on a bargain contract as the Lakers chase restricted free agent pipedreams. Rob Pelinka promised Luka upgrades, but Los Angeles has failed to add anyone other than drafting Cameron Carr.
Lakers quickly undo Luka Doncic’s recruiting with Marcus Smart departure
Smart averaged 9.3 points, 3.0 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 28.5 minutes per game in his lone season with the Lakers. He shot 39.5 percent from the field and 33.1 percent on his 3-point attempts, but fans know what Smart brings isn’t always quantified in the box score.
His leadership, energy, and toughness made Los Angeles better. The Lakers were 8.4 points per 100 possessions better when Smart was on the floor. That should tell fans all they need to know about his impact.
This feels disastrous. The Lakers told Luka they would improve the team and build around him this summer. LeBron James refused to re-sign in Los Angeles. Luke Kennard took a similar deal to Smart’s with the Suns. Now, Smart is heading to the Rockets. Los Angeles bet on cap space, but they keep losing pieces without making a move.
Losing Smart hurt. Lakers fans know he had a massive impact on the team last season. Luka recruited him to LA. It felt like the perfect fit, and Rob Pelinka undid all his superstar’s work in one year. The Lakers could have easily topped Houston’s offer, but they refused. LA will certainly pay for it, and fans should be outraged.
The pressure is mounting for Pelinka and the front office. Los Angeles Lakers fans expect upgrades and a team built around Luka Doncic to contend for the championship. Doing nothing to start free agency is a bad sign. The Lakers are dreaming about landing a marquee center. If they strike out, this offseason will get even worse. It is bad enough already. Putting your faith in Pelinka is scary, so all fans can do is stay tuned to see how this all shakes out.
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