In an offseason when the Los Angeles Lakers had a near overhaul of their roster and were praised for giving out new contracts in every direction, former guard Marcus Smart felt differently.
After opting out of a two-year, $10.5 million deal he signed with the Lakers the year before, Smart told Varun Shanka of The Houston Chronicle, the offer he received over the offseason felt “disrespectful.”
“First off, I played so well that the offer that was ultimately given didn’t match the way that I played,” he said to the Houston Chronicle, “Especially when you see guys who played way worse than I did, the offers they’re getting. And then it wasn’t any security that we wanted that they were willing to do.”
Former Los Angeles Lakers’ guard Marcus Smart blasts the team’s free agency offer and calls it “disrespectful.” JASON SZENES/ NY POST
Smart, a Texas native who grew up outside of Dallas in Flower Mound, is back in his home state with his former Boston Celtics coach, Ime Udoka, when he agreed to a two-year, $12.4 million deal that includes a player option with the Houston Rockets.
“They gave me an opportunity to be able to go out and try to get what I’ve earned,” Smart said to the Houston Chronicle, “And what I’ve been working my tail off to provide for my family is a decent-sized paycheck with obviously years on it, right? Or a big paycheck with less years, but to be able to have that option.”
Luka Doncic in an NBA game with the Los Angeles Lakers. JASON SZENES/ NY POST
The Lakers have committed $480 million towards Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Walker Kessler.
Kessler was the Lakers’ big offseason acquisition when they acquired him from a sign-and-trade deal with the Utah Jazz for $129.5 million for the next four years.
Marcus Smart in a Lakers uniform during an NBA game. Corey Sipkin for NY Post
Aside from adding Kessler, the team also added Collin Sexton by committing $19.2 million towards him for the next two years, $60 million to Quentin Grimes for the next four years, and $52 million to Sandro Mamukelashvili. All three of them have player options included in their deals.
When Smart originally arrived in Los Angeles, he expected to be a solid depth piece that would come off the bench last season, but he quietly emerged as a defensive anchor who was in the team’s starting five during the playoffs.
Smart finished last season with a defensive rating of 116.9, averaging 2.2 defensive rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game.
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