Marcus Smart declined his $5.4 million player option on Monday and is now on the open market. For the Los Angeles Lakers, that puts one of their most trusted perimeter defenders at the center of a roster decision just as league-wide negotiating opens Tuesday at 3 p.m. PT.
Marcus Smart and the Lakers
Smart started 54 of 62 games for the Lakers and averaged 9.3 points and 3.0 assists per game. He also helped the Lakers reach overtime in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series against the Rockets, forcing a late steal with 30 seconds left.
That is the version of Smart the Lakers had in hand: a 32-year-old guard who could change a possession and settle the group. JJ Redick put it plainly. “He’s a winner,” he said. “He makes winning plays.”
Houston Rockets link
A few days ago, The Stein Line linked Smart to a potential multi-year deal with the Houston Rockets. Ime Udoka’s team sits on the other side of the fit question, and the market now gets to decide whether that connection turns into an actual contract.
The mechanism is straightforward. By declining the option, Smart moved from a fixed salary into free agency, where another team can set the term and structure instead of the Lakers. That opens the door to a multi-year deal rather than a one-season holdover, and it also gives the Lakers a chance to reset the spot if he goes elsewhere.
Deandre Ayton’s choice
Monday brought a second roster decision for the Lakers. Deandre Ayton opted into his $8.1 million salary for the 2026-27 season after a career-high 72 games, 12.5 points per game, 8.0 rebounds per game and 67.1% shooting from the field.
For the Lakers, the two moves point in different directions. Ayton stays in place, while Smart is free to leave, and the list of possible answers now includes Quentin Grimes and Dean Wade if the Lakers choose to replace the defensive role Smart filled. What comes next is not a theory anymore; it is a market test, with Smart’s next stop still to be set by whoever meets the price and the years he wants.
