The Seguno, California – Tally an assistance for Luka Doncic months before the opening night.
Marcus Smart accredited Doncic for recruiting Los Angeles at his introductory press conference with the Lakers on Tuesday.
“When you get a boy like Luka calling … reviewing him, trying to see where you are, to see if you want to join something special who is trying to cook here,” said Smart. “So he says he can really use my help, that meant a lot.”
Smart, who cleared exemptions after reaching a purchase agreement with the Washington Wizards, signed a two -year agreement and $ 11 million with the Lakers, sources told ESPN. He resigned from the Shake Milton and Jordan Goodwin guards to have access to the biannual exception to sign Smart, 31, for more than the minimum of the veteran, the sources said.
The defensive player of the year 2022 and the three-time member of the first team of every defense will have the task of providing the Lakers with an attack point defender in the perimeter after Dorian Finney-Smith signed with the Houston Rockets in the free agency. And with 108 career playoff games under their credit, tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves guard, Mike Conley, for the 18th more among active players, his experience will be welcome with a group of the relatively new Lakers that changed to Doncic in February and is trained by JJ Redick, entering his second season in the plate. With LeBron James, No. 1 in the postseason games of all time in the mixture, of course.
“Just to be me,” Smart said when asked what his role in the team will be. “Enter and do what I do and that's [being] A tenacious defender, just bringing the intensity I bring, my leadership, my intellectual basketball coefficient as well. But it is only the plague that I have always been. “
The fact that Doncic was so attentive in his search for Smart is certainly a good sign of how he sees his long -term loyalty to the franchise. Doncic has two years left in his contract with the, including a player option for 2026-27. However, the Lakers can offer the 26 -year -old superstar an extension of four years and $ 222 million as of August 2, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN.
Smart is one of the four new faces to join the team in this low season, along with the center of Andre Ayton and striker Jake Laravia, both the signings of the free agents, and the selection of the second round draft Adou Thiero. He won 50 games and won the seed number 3 at the busy West Conference last season before being expelled by the Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs in five games.
Smart said that it is equipped to defend itself in the West, which considers that it is equally competitive in 2025-26 with the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder and renewed the Nuggets and lists of rockets that provide formidable challenges, just to name some teams.
“I think we stacked there with the best of them,” said Smart. “And I think we can [compete]. Our roof is high. I think there is no roof. I think that if we all block and come and do what we are supposed to do, we can have a good opportunity for that. “
After spending the first nine years of his career with the Boston Celtics, the franchise that recruited him No. 6 in 2014 (when he resolved it before the draft and selected Julius Randle at number 7), Smart played only 54 games in the last two seasons with Washington and the Grizzlies of Memphis due to injuries.
“I'm very motivated,” said Smart. “The last two years for me were, in my eyes, a disappointment. The injuries stopped me and stopped me. But, as I told my wife and my family, everything happens for a reason. And it is curious that 12 years ago, I could have been here and now it is a complete circle and I am here.”
