The Los Angeles Lakers let a player who can transform a defense walk out the door on Wednesday morning. Marcus Smart is headed to the Houston Rockets on what can only be described as a deal that would have been incredibly easy for the Lakers to hand out.
Shams Charania reported: "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 tell ESPN. ... [He] reunites with Ime Udoka for significant opportunity in the Rockets backcourt."
Smart lit a fire under the 2025-26 Lakers when he was elevated to the starting lineup. His defense at the point of attack was still unbelievably elite even after years of battling through injuries that should have derailed his ability far more than it actually did.
Simply put, there is no one on the free agent market who can defend in that department as well as Smart was capable of last season. That means Rob Pelinka will need to do something he has not been capable of in years: an offseason trade.
Lakers must find a Marcus Smart replacement via the trade market
The last time Pelinka managed to execute an offseason trade, aside from the NBA Draft process, was 2022. That was when the Lakers acquired Patrick Beverley.
It needs to be a trade. If the Lakers want to find anything comparable to what Smart gave them on the defensive perimeter last season, they need to pry an elite talent away from another team. No one among the free agent class is coming anywhere close to the veteran guard at the point of attack.
There have been plenty of rumors about Quentin Grimes eventually ending up in Los Angeles. Grimes is a strong defender at his best, but his skill set would not lend itself to that role in the starting lineup. The free agent is much more suited to coming off the Lakers bench.
This should mean Pelinka and the front office start looking for trade options using the draft capital at their disposal. They will need a new starter at the three spot beside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
The most obvious name that immediately stands out is Herbert Jones. There are natural concerns about an inconsistent jumper with Jones, but Doncic will inevitably raise the shot quality he gets.
Meanwhile, Jones has been an All-NBA level of defender at his best. That is what the Lakers should be far more concerned about, because that is what Smart was giving them with his presence.
The Lakers need this one bad. If they are planning on filling that void at the point of attack with one of the lackluster options in free agency, they are in for a rough ride moving forward.
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