Guard Marcus Smart has come to an agreement for a contract buyout with the Washington Wizards. After he clears waivers, he plans to sign a two-year deal worth $11 million with the Los Angeles Lakers, according to sources who spoke to ESPN on Saturday.
Smart, who won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2022 and is a three-time All-Defense first-team member, will have a player option in his new contract with the Lakers. This option will allow him to enter a more lucrative free agency period in 2026, sources mentioned.
Lakers star Luka Doncic, who has been named to the All-NBA team, reached out to Smart and expressed his desire to play alongside this talented two-way player, according to sources.
The upcoming move marks a significant return for Smart, who reached the playoffs in all nine of his initial NBA seasons with the Boston Celtics. However, he has not participated in the postseason during the last two years while playing for Memphis and Washington.
In addition, Smart faced injuries that limited him to just 54 games over the past two seasons. He dealt with an injury to his right finger last season and recorded a career-low average of 20 minutes per game in 2024-25.
The Lakers, Phoenix Suns, and Milwaukee Bucks showed strong interest in Smart. He received approval to talk to these teams along with his agent, Jason Glushon, and had positive discussions with staff from each team, according to sources. After losing Dorian Finney-Smith, finding a point-of-attack wing defender became a top priority for the Lakers.
To create space for Smart, the Lakers waived guards Shake Milton and Jordan Goodwin, sources informed ESPN. Milton’s $3 million contract for next season would have fully guaranteed on Sunday. Goodwin had become a key role player for the Lakers late last season, participating in 29 games and four playoff matches.
Milton, who is 28 years old, joined L.A. from the Brooklyn Nets as part of the trade involving Finney-Smith and D’Angelo Russell last December. The seven-year veteran averaged 3.9 points on 43.3% shooting, along with 1.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists across 30 games played for the Lakers, including one start.
