In a move that has probably been a long time coming, the Wizards and Marcus Smart agreed to a contract buyout on Saturday, with reports indicating that Smart is set to sign a two-year, $11 million deal with the Lakers once he clears waivers. That’s the bi-annual exception, with the second year being a player option, virtually a zero-risk, low-money move for LA.
BREAKING: Marcus Smart has agreed to a contract buyout with the Washington Wizards and intends to sign a two-year, $11 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers after clearing waivers, sources tell ESPN. A return to a grand stage for the 2022 NBA Defensive Player of the Year. pic.twitter.com/8g9Bxzz11E
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 19, 2025
Who knows whether the Nuggets were ever in contact with Smart or not? But they certainly should have been. They had the means to pay him even more than the Lakers could offer with the rest of midlevel exception and could have offered him a solid role as the backup point guard with the ability to provide a missing skill: lockdown point of attack defense.
Denver has some solid perimeter defenders in Christian Braun, Bruce Brown, and Peyton Watson, specifically, but Smart is a true lockdown guy who can guard 1-4 without being disadvantaged. He’s also an even better team defender, and the plays and reads he makes off the ball are savant-like.
Smart was the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year in the NBA and made three All-Defensive teams in his 9 seasons with the Celtics. But after two disappointing, injury-plagued seasons with the Grizzlies and Wizards, Smart’s value has plummeted.
Smart would have been perfect final piece for Denver
If there’s anything this Nuggets team is still lacking after a brilliant offseason, it’s a veteran ballhandler off the bench and point-of-attack defense. Smart would’ve offered both in spades and was very affordable.
Smart has played in over 100 playoff games and has made multiple deep runs, including five trips to the conference finals. He has proven to be a great leader, a great winner, and a guy who brings energy and effort every single night.
That’s something the Nuggets definitely lost with Russell Westbrook walking out the door, and Smart could have brought that back in a much more controlled form. It would have been a great luxury to throw Smart out there for critical defensive possession while letting him spell Jamal Murray throughout the course of games.
He also would have been a great mentor to the young guards and a guy who could bring a new level of intensity to every practice. But instead, the Nuggets didn’t seem to be in play on this one, and Smart goes to the rival Lakers.
The Nuggets will continue their search for a backup point guard with options dwindling by the day. There are a few solid remaining options, but it’s looking more and more like backup point duties will fall on Jalen Pickett and Bruce Brown.