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Lakers React With 3 Words to Marcus Smart News on Tuesday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cole Sullivan | Last updated Jul 22, 2025 8:19 PM ET

Over the weekend, the Los Angeles Lakers landed a major two-year, $11 million deal with two-way guard Marcus Smart, who reached a buyout with the Washington Wizards.

The move wasn’t made official until Tuesday, after the Lakers cleared cap space by waiving Shake Milton, Jordan Goodwin, and Trey Jemison. The team later confirmed the signing with a simple three-word message.

“He’s a Laker,” the team posted alongside a purple heart emoji and an image of Smart in a Lakers uniform—an unexpected sight for fans who watched him spend the bulk of his career as a cornerstone of the rival Boston Celtics.

OFFICIAL: He’s a Laker pic.twitter.com/QuKOPn3s1k
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) July 22, 2025

Fans quickly reacted after the Lakers and Marcus Smart made the news official, with Smart reposting the announcement photo to his Instagram—the first time he acknowledged the deal publicly since ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported it on Saturday.

"THIS JERSEY SO TUFF," a fan said.

Someone else added, "He will help the Lakers beat the Celtics in the finals. It’ll be glorious."

Another person wrote, "The Lakers got themselves an absolute menace on defense."

"we're gonna need his help on defense for sure," one more fan commented.

Marcus Smart is widely known for his gritty, hard-nosed, and emotionally charged style of play—qualities the Lakers have lacked in recent years, especially on the defensive end at the guard position. According to reports, Luka Doncic even played a role in recruiting Smart to Los Angeles.

Marcus Smart talks about Luka Doncic’s efforts to recruit him to L.A. He said prior to this summer, they didn’t have a relationship beyond mutual respect as competitors: “It was always flowers” pic.twitter.com/4k4KPi3tQu
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 22, 2025

Smart spent the first nine seasons of his NBA career with the Boston Celtics, helping lead them to multiple deep playoff runs, including an appearance in the 2022 NBA Finals, where they fell to the Golden State Warriors.

He was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in 2023 and later dealt to the Washington Wizards, a team currently focused on rebuilding. Now 31, Smart is looking to contribute to a contender, making the Lakers an ideal landing spot.

Over his career, Smart has averaged 10.6 points, 4.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. He earned NBA Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2022 and has been selected to the All-Defensive team three times.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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