The 2026 NBA Finals have made it abundantly clear that teams will have a hard time winning a championship if they can't play physical defense. For the Los Angeles Lakers, that's also made it unavoidable that they need Marcus Smart to lead by example.
The Lakers are expected to attempt to address their lack of defensive-minded players with an ambitious offseason. Smart is the player the new defenders can turn to for leadership.
Los Angeles is known to be prioritizing defense this summer, with wings and centers both on the agenda. Adding those players around Luka Doncic and, presumably, Austin Reaves would certainly improve the Lakers' odds of competing at the highest level.
The hurdle in adding a new cast around offensive-minded players, however, is figuring out who's going to lead by example. For Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks, for instance, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart are veteran self-starters who set the tone for the rest of the team.
Thankfully, the Lakers have Smart to occupy that pivotal role—or at least they may. He thrived in 2025-26, but he also endured two injury-plagued seasons in 2023-24 and 2024-25. As such, it's at least worth pondering if the 32-year-old will decline his player option for the 2026-27 campaign in favor of a multi-year contract.
In saying that, if the Lakers can re-sign Smart to a team-friendly deal—or if they're lucky enough for him to accept his $5,390,700 player option—then they can make new additions knowing their leader is ready to set the tone.
Lakers will need a leader to set the tone for new defensive additions
The Lakers will have the benefit of a virtual financial clean slate this summer. They also have the rare gift of a first-round draft pick. As such, the resources at Los Angeles' disposal should help them at least get closer to a contending level of quality on defense.
Between the draft and free agency, however, the Lakers' top rumored targets tend to share two similar traits: Youth and relative inexperience.
Wing defenders such as Tari Eason, 25, and Peyton Watson, 23, have postseason experience, yes, but they've generally been a cog in the proverbial machine. In Los Angeles, however, they'd be asked to play more minutes and take on opposing teams' top perimeter scorers on a nightly basis.
There's a line as thick as a steel plate between thriving as an individual defender and helping to lead a defense, however, and Smart is one of the revered players who can check both boxes.
With Smart in the rotation, the Lakers could bring in fresh faces to a culture that already has a tone-setting veteran defender in place. That would make integration a far easier challenge to overcome, all the while providing a defensive structure to build around.
Los Angeles has every reason to hit the reset button this summer,, but after a season during which Smart helped change the way they prioritized defense, they need his leadership.
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