NBA Trade Report: Marcus Smart agrees to a buyout with the Wizards; set to join the Lakers on a two-year deal

National Basketball Association (NBA) veteran Marcus Smart has agreed to a contract buyout with the Washington Wizards and is set to sign a two-year, $12 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers after clearing waivers.

The news was first reported by NBA insider Shams Charania, who took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to announce the development.

“Marcus Smart has agreed to a contract buyout with the Washington Wizards and intends to sign a two-year, $12 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers after clearing waivers. A return to a grand stage for the 2022 NBA Defensive Player of the Year,” Charania posted.

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

The Lakers’ management was reportedly eager to bring in Smart, with Charania adding that superstar Luka Dončić personally reached out to Smart to convince him to join Los Angeles. 

Smart is expected to bring a crucial defensive presence to the Lakers and provide backcourt depth, considering he was named the 2022 NBA Defensive Player of the Year and has been selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team three times. However, it’s worth noting that the 31-year-old has struggled with injuries over the past two seasons, appearing in just 54 games during that span.

The defensive standout made 15 appearances for the Wizards after being traded midseason from the Memphis Grizzlies in February. Over his 11-season NBA career, Smart has averaged 10.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game, and is widely recognized as one of the league’s premier perimeter defenders.

Smart was selected sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in the 2014 NBA Draft, spending nine seasons with the franchise and enjoying the most productive stretch of his career. He was traded to the Grizzlies in a three-team deal on June 22, 2023, and now joins the Lakers after a brief stint with the Wizards.

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