The Denver Nuggets are in their offseason mode, and they're now joined in that mode by the Los Angeles Lakers, who were swept 4-0 by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the playoffs. The playoff exit means that Marcus Smart is going to have the choice to return to the Lakers on a player option. And if he doesn't, the Nuggets can't be caught sleeping, and they need to seriously consider bringing in Smart for next year.
The question for Smart is, does he deem the Lakers close enough to title contention to stay? Does he want the nice $5.3 million the Lakers owe him, or does he explore his options? If he explores his options, the Nuggets need to pounce.
The Nuggets need to sign Smart if he explores his options
Smart's market price would be tough to gauge if he left Tinsel Town, given his sporadic offensive performance this season with the Lakers, but his defense is undeniable. Smart is a former Defensive Player of the Year, picking up the award as a member of the Boston Celtics in the 2021-22 season.
Smart can play great perimeter defense, and he applies pressure well. He just did a decent job of slowing down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, holding him to games of 18, 22, and 23 points, before the damn burst on the Lakers and SGA got 35 points in the series-clinching Game 4.
Smart brings physical defense to the perimeter, and the Nuggets could have used that against any of the guards that torched them on their way to the paint in the Nuggets' first-round playoff exit to the Timberwolves. There was no bump or contact, and a free lane to the hoop formed what felt like every time the Timberwolves wanted it, and Nikola Jokic was left with no chance to stop them. The lack of perimeter defense was sorely missed, and Smart would fix that issue immediately.
The Nuggets are priortizing defense
Defense is one of the upgrades the Nuggets are pursuing this offseason, so Smart just makes sense for them if they get the chance. The Nuggets should be looking for a cheaper defensive specialist to help shore up the roster, or there will be no stopping the leak getting into the paint without some drastic changes to the team's strategy.
However, as we know, the Nuggets don't have much wiggle room in cap space, which is exactly why they should target Smart if given the chance. His defense alone would be a massive upgrade, and the Nuggets can't sleep on a chance like that if it comes around at a price they can probably squeeze in.
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