Lakers trade proposal lands Marcus Smart in Wizards deal
The 2025 edition of the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas has begun, and the Los Angeles Lakers' search for upgrades up and down their roster continues along. According to ClutchPoints Senior Lakers insider Anthony Irwin, LA is 'hoping to reignite trade talks' during Summer League, with one of their potential targets being former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart.
Smart, however, is no longer the player he once was. In fact, the Memphis Grizzlies had to attach a first-round pick just so they could get rid of Smart and his contract, and the Washington Wizards obliged. Smart once had one of the best contracts in the league, and yet here he is, having little to no trade value whatsoever, which could then pave the way for the Lakers to snag him for cheap.
He's in the final year of his deal making around $21 million, and Smart, if not traded, appears likely to be headed for the buyout market. But the Lakers would have many competitors in such a scenario, and trading for Smart allows them to get ahead of the competition in what could be a comeback season of sorts for the 2022 DPOY.
Here's the package the Lakers must put together to acquire Smart in a trade with the Wizards.
Lakers upgrade their backup point guard
Lakers acquire: Marcus Smart
Wizards acquire: Gabe Vincent, Maxi Kleber, 2032 second-round pick
Towards the end of the 2024-25 season, Gabe Vincent began to round into form for the Lakers, looking like the man they signed off free agency from the Miami Heat in 2023. It was a major bounce-back for Vincent, who played in just 11 games for the Lakers in his disastrous first season in LA.
At the end of the day, Vincent, while a solid 3-and-D bench point guard, could not recapture the form he had for the Miami Heat now that he's on the Lakers. He averaged 6.4 points on 40 percent shooting last year, and he looms as a huge trade chip for the Lakers now that he's in the final year of his contract making $11 million.
What made Vincent valuable for the Lakers last season was that he showed up for the majority of the season, suiting up in 72 games and providing some much-needed backcourt versatility for the Purple and Gold. Giving him up for Smart requires the Lakers to take a risk and have faith that the 2022 DPOY isn't damaged goods quite yet.
That requires a lot of positive thinking, as the Grizzlies, the team that acquired Smart to be their de facto Dillon Brooks replacement, had to give up a first-rounder just so they could get his contract off the books. Smart hasn't been at his best physically over the past few seasons, picking up a knock here and there which added up to a ton of missed time
Last year, Smart played in just 34 games, and over the past two campaigns, he suited up in just 54 contests. Availability may not be the best ability, but it sure does matter a lot, and for a Lakers squad that's looking to compete for a championship in the loaded Western Conference, Smart would need to play a ton of minutes in the event that he lands in LA — putting him at risk of picking up injuries.
There is a chance that the 31-year-old won't be able to return to his DPOY form, although even then, he would represent an upgrade over Vincent. But it's not quite clear if the Lakers could afford to play it safe with Smart by giving him occasional rest days and not overworking him. LA may not have such luxury, especially if they're trading away a valuable bench piece in Vincent in the process.
But at the very least, Smart showed that he can still play solid basketball for stretches. His shooting percentages improved towards the end of last season when he was with the Wizards, and in LA, he won't be tasked to do much of anything other than to defend, hit open shots, and ruffle opponents' feathers.
The expectation for Smart should the Lakers trade for him would be for him to play at least 65 games, play 20 minutes a night, and act as a key piece of a Purple and Gold squad that aims to recapture the defensive heights they reached last year.
With the departure of Dorian Finney-Smith, acquiring a multi-positional defender is a must for the Lakers, and Smart, while undersized relative to Finney-Smith, has shown he can battle against the premier scorers of the association — provided he remains healthy, of course.
For the opportunity to perhaps facilitate a career revival for Smart, the Lakers, in this scenario, will be giving up Maxi Kleber and a 2032 second-rounder as well. That second-rounder is seven years out, so that should not matter too much for a team looking to win now.
Kleber could be a valuable stretch big option, but one would think that the Lakers would want to keep Jarred Vanderbilt over Kleber instead when choosing who to include for salary-matching purposes.
Related: Lakers' Bronny James catches more attention after lighting it up vs. Celtics
Related: Sources: LeBron James retirement buzz gets louder at NBA Summer League

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Saniyah Hall commits to USC, Trojans land 3rd No. 1 prospect in past 4 women's basketball recruiting classes
USC women's basketball head coach Lindsay Gottlieb has received a commitment from another No. 1 prospect, the third top recruit to pledge to her program in the past four cycles, according to ESPN. Saniyah Hall, a 6-foot-2 forward who now plays for SPIRE Academy in Ohio, announced her commitment to USC Friday on ESPN's "NBA Today." "I would just say it felt like home," Hall said following her official visit to USC. "I loved all of my teammates. The girls there are so fun to be around. The coaches ... have high support, but [Gottlieb] is definitely there to just support me, and I've built a relationship with her — she's a great coach." Last week, Hall helped Team USA win gold at the U19 Women's World Cup. She earned tournament MVP honors after averaging 19.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.9 steals per games while shooting 52.6% from the field and 39.3% from 3. Hall has transferred back to her home state for her final season, but last year she played her junior season at Montverde Academy in Florida. Hall picked USC over North Carolina and UCLA. She's following in the footsteps of Trojans guards JuJu Watkins and Jazzy Davidson, who were rated by ESPN as No. 1 prospects in the 2023 and 2025 recruiting classes, respectively, before committing to USC. Although Watkins suffered a season-ending ACL tear in USC's second-round NCAA tournament game against Mississippi State, she swept the major National Player of the Year awards this year as a sophomore. Additionally, she collected first-team All-American honors for the second year in a row after averaging 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game. USC, which has made back-to-back Elite 8s as a 1-seed, is adding to Davidson to the fold for the 2025-26 season. She rounded out her Clackamas High School career as the 2024-25 Gatorade Oregon Girls Basketball Player of the Year, averaging 29.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.3 steals, 2.6 assists and 1.9 blocks per game as a senior. While the Trojans will have to wait for Watkins to fully recover, their 2026-27 roster is shaping up to be spectacular, perhaps fit to end the program's four-plus-decade national title drought.
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Former Bruins Who Signed With New Teams This Summer
Now that we are almost to August, several former Boston Bruins players have signed with new teams during this off-season. Due to this, let's take a look at a handful of former Bruins who have signed with new clubs this summer and how they performed during their time in Boston. After spending each of the last two seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, former Bruins defenseman Dmitry Orlov signed a two-year, $13 million contract with the San Jose Sharks in free agency this year. The 34-year-old defenseman will now be an incredibly important part of San Jose's defense as they continue their rebuild. In 23 games with the Bruins during the 2022-23 season, Orlov recorded four goals, 13 assists, and 17 points. He also had eight assists in seven playoff games for the Original Six club that year. Former Bruins winger James van Riemsdyk signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings this summer. The veteran forward will now provide the Red Wings with more forward depth and secondary offensive production. van Riemsdyk spent the 2023-24 season with the Bruins, where he had 11 goals, 27 assists, 38 points, and a plus-7 rating in 71 games. His time with the Bruins ended during the 2024 NHL off-season when he signed a one-year deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets. After being a solid depth defenseman for the Bruins in each of the last two seasons, Parker Wotherspoon signed a two-year, $2 million contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins this off-season. When looking at the Penguins' defensive depth, he should have a spot on their bottom pairing and penalty kill next season. In 96 games over two seasons with the Bruins, Wotherspoon recorded one goal, 14 assists, 15 points, 159 hits, and a minus-4 rating. Overall, he was not the flashiest of players while with the Bruins but worked well in a small role. Former Bruins forward Justin Brazeau also joined the Penguins this off-season, signing a two-year, $3 million contract with the Metropolitan Division club. This was after he recorded 11 goals, 22 points, and a minus-9 rating in 76 games last season split between the Bruins and the Minnesota Wild. In 76 games over two seasons as a member of the Bruins, Brazeau had 15 goals, 27 points, 132 hits, and a minus-2 rating. His time with the Bruins ended when he was traded to the Wild in exchange for Jakub Lauko and Marat Khusnutdinov before this year's deadline. After cementing himself as an NHL player this season with the Bruins, Koepke signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Winnipeg Jets this off-season. He should now be a solid part of the Jets' bottom six, just like he was while with the Bruins. In 73 games this past season with the Bruins, Koepke set new career highs with 10 goals, seven assists, 17 points, and 177 hits. Former Bruins goalie Dan Vladar moved on from the Calgary Flames this off-season, as he signed a two-year, $6.7 million contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. He will now look to provide the Flyers with more stability between the pipes, which is a massive need for them. Vladar was selected by the Bruins with the 75th overall pick of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. In five games with the Bruins during the 2020-21 season, he had a 2-2-1 record, a .886 save percentage, and a 3.40 goals-against average. His time with the Bruins ended when he was traded to the Flames during the 2021 NHL off-season. Former Bruins defenseman Mike Reilly landed a one-year, $1.1 million contract with the Hurricanes this off-season. He should now serve as a bottom-pairing or seventh defenseman for the Metropolitan Division club. Reilly played three seasons with the Bruins from 2020-21 to 2022-23, where he posted four goals, 22 assists, 26 points, and a plus-6 rating. His tenure in Boston ended when he was bought out during the 2023 off-season. Former Bruins top prospect signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Florida Panthers this summer. This was after he spent all of this season in the AHL with the Ontario Reign, recording 16 goals and 45 points in 72 games. Studnicka was selected by the Bruins with the 53rd overall pick of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. The Bruins' hope was that he would become a key forward for them, but he was never able to become a regular in their lineup. In 38 games over four seasons as a Bruin, he had one goal, seven points, and a minus-7 rating. Longtime Providence Bruins goalie Brandon Bussi also signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Panthers this off-season. He is expected to play with Florida's AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. Bussi appeared in 33 games this past season for Providence, where he had a 23-10-5 record, a .913 save percentage, and a 2.67 goals-against average. 3 Bruins Who Need A Bounce-Back Season The Boston Bruins will be looking to prove their critics wrong during the 2025-26 season. There are naturally many who feel that they will not be a playoff team because of how poorly this past campaign went for them. Yet, now that the Bruins have made multiple additions to their roster this summer, it will be fascinating to see if they can turn things back around next season. Photo Credit: © Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Kyle Stowers homers, Otto Lopez hits tiebreaking double as Marlins beat Brewers 5-1
MILWAUKEE (AP) — All-Star Kyle Stowers hit his 23rd homer and Otto Lopez capped off a three-hit day with a tiebreaking double in the seventh inning to lead the Miami Marlins to a 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday. Lopez's double against Rick Mears cleared the bases, although he only got credit for two RBIs because the third run scored on a fielding error by center fielder Blake Perkins. Aaron Ashby (1-1), who allowed the leadoff batter to reach on an infield single, took the loss. Jackson Chourio hit his 17th homer for the Brewers, extending his hitting streak to a career-best 18 games. He's batting .367 (26 for 71) with four homers and 16 RBIs over that stretch. Miami's Cal Quantrill struck out four while allowing three hits without a walk over five innings. Josh Simpson (1-0) worked a scoreless sixth. Brewers starter Freddy Peralta also went five innings and allowed one run. Stowers sent Peralta's 2-2 changeup over the wall in center in the third. Key moment With one on and one out in the seventh and the game tied at 1, Brewers manager Pat Murphy replaced the left-hander Ashby with right-hander Mears, who walked the next two batters and then gave up Lopez's double. Key stat Christian Yelich's ninth-inning walk extended his on-base streak to 30 games, tying a career high for the Brewers veteran. Up next Brewers left-hander Jose Quintana (7-3, 3.49 ERA) faces Marlins right-hander Janson Junk (4-2, 3.09) on Saturday. Junk, who made five appearances for the Brewers last season, will be facing Milwaukee for the first time in his career. ___ AP MLB: Andrew Wagner, The Associated Press