Marcus Smart is taking his talents next to Hollywood, as he is expected to join Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers after agreeing to a contract buyout with the Washington Wizards.

Doncic is said to have a crucial role in Smart's decision to choose the Lakers as he's next landing spot. If not for the Slovenian's convincing power, the former Defensive Player of the Year could have opted to join another Pacific Division club in the Phoenix Suns, as implied in a recent piece by NBA insider Marc Stein.

Wrote Stein: “I'm told that the recent Dončić pitch, once Washington granted the 31-year-old and his agent Jason Glushon permission to talk to other teams in search of a post-buyout landing spot, particularly resonated with Smart and helped lead the former Defensive Player of the Year to choose the Lakers over a determined push by the Suns to land the former Celtic.”

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Although he's not exactly known for being a productive player on offense, Smart carries the reputation of being one of the best and most versatile defenders of his generation. He appears to be someone who can fit nicely alongside Doncic in the Lakers' backcourt. Smart can help hide the defensive weaknesses of Doncic, particularly out on the perimeter. Moreover, Smart also has proven abilities to hold his own against bigger players defensively.

If Smart can stay healthy, he should be a quality asset for the Lakers. Over the last two seasons, however, he has been limited by injuries to only 54 games, while putting up averages of 11.0 points, 3.6 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals while shooting 41.1 percent from the floor and 33.1 percent from behind the arc.

The former Oklahoma State Cowboys star won the 2021-22 NBA Defensive Player of the Year when he was still with the Boston Celtics and before he was traded twice. He was sent by the Celtics to the Memphis Grizzlies in the summer of 2023 as part of a three-team trade that also involved the Wizards. Then just before the 2025 NBA trade deadline, the Grizzlies traded him to the Wizards in a three-team swap which also featured the Sacramento Kings.

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