By David Aldridge, Josh Robbins, Dan Woike and Matt Moret
Marcus Smart and the Washington Wizards have agreed to a contract buyout, and the 31-year-old former NBA Defensive Player of the Year intends to join the Los Angeles Lakers after he clears waivers, league sources told The Athletic.
Smart was entering the final season of his contract with the Wizards and was due to earn a guaranteed salary of $21.6 million. Once released, he cannot sign with another team for 48 hours until he clears the waiver process.
Team and league sources believe Smart will then finalize a two-year deal with the Lakers for the biannual exception, worth approximately $5.1 million this season and just under $5.4 million in 2026-27. The second year is a player option, a league source said.
The Wizards acquired Smart from the Memphis Grizzlies in a February multi-player trade. By all accounts, Smart provided a positive example to the team’s younger players, especially on defense.
However, the Wizards wanted to honor Smart’s desire to play for a contender and clear more playing time for their large number of perimeter players. That group includes Bub Carrington, Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George, AJ Johnson, Tre Johnson, Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum.
By skewing their playing rotation in favor of less experienced players, the Wizards will also be more likely to finish near the bottom of the 2025-26 league standings and, as a consequence, retain their top-eight-protected 2026 first-round pick.
As part of the buyout agreement, the Wizards’ financial obligation to Smart will be reduced by approximately $6.8 million, a team source said.
The Lakers focused on Smart shortly after the first wave of free agency. They were initially coupled with De’Anthony Melton to fill their need for more perimeter defense. League sources have subsequently linked Melton, 27, to the Golden State Warriors, though he remains unsigned.
In Smart, the Lakers will get the 2021-22 NBA Defensive Player of the Year and a three-time All-Defensive team player — the kind of accolades no current Laker possesses, minus six-time All-Defensive Team player LeBron James.
After signing Deandre Ayton and Jake LaRavia in free agency, the Lakers prioritized finding a defensive upgrade to help mitigate the loss of Dorian Finney-Smith to the Houston Rockets.
League sources said Luka Dončić spoke with Smart this week to try getting the veteran defender on board. Dončić also assisted the Lakers in finalizing their deal with Ayton, helping the team land two sought-after players in free agency after their buyouts.
While team sources maintain details are still in the works, one way the Lakers could create enough space under the first apron would be to waive guard Shake Milton before his contract guarantees on July 20 and waive guard Jordan Goodwin once Smart clears waivers. Goodwin’s contract is partially guaranteed.
Smart spent the first nine years of his career with the Boston Celtics, averaging 10.6 points, 4.6 assists and 3.5 rebounds, plus 1.6 steals, during his time there. If a deal comes together, he would add to the list of prominent Celtics who joined their Los Angeles rivals later in their careers, including Rajon Rondo, Rick Fox and Isaiah Thomas.
Since leaving Boston in 2022 in a trade to Memphis, Smart has played in only 54 games. He missed time last season because of an injury to his right index finger.
NBA reporter Marc Stein was the first to report the news of Smart’s potential contract buyout.
(Photo: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
