Veteran G Marcus Smart signs with Lakers following buyout

The Los Angeles Lakers officially signed veteran point guard Marcus Smart on Tuesday, three days after it was reported he agreed to a contract buyout with the Washington Wizards.

The former NBA Defensive Player of the Year signed a two-year, $11 million deal with Los Angeles after clearing waivers, ESPN reported. The Lakers did not confirm the financial terms.

"Adding a player like Marcus Smart to our roster allows us to compete at the highest level," Lakers president of basketball operations and GM Rob Pelinka said in a statement. "Marcus epitomizes what it means to prioritize winning above all else -- whether that's making huge plays on the defensive end or hitting critical shots in key moments of the most intense games. He knows and understands playoff winning and will be a key leadership voice in our group. Surrounding our stars with two-way players like Marcus is critical to our overall vision of how we want to play and win next season. This is an exciting player acquisition, for sure."

At an introductory press conference Tuesday, Smart said Lakers star Luka Doncic helped recruit him to Los Angeles.

"When you get a guy like Luka calling ... checking on you, trying to see where you're at, to see if you want to come join something special that he's trying to cook up over here," Smart said. "For him to say that he can really use my help, that meant a lot."

Smart was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies prior to the 2023-24 season and played in 19 games before he was again dealt to the Wizards (15 games) this past February. He averaged 9.0 points and 3.2 assists overall.

But he's best known for his first nine NBA seasons in Boston, during which he helped the Celtics reach the postseason every year. He was a three-time First-Team All-Defense selection and won the Defensive Player of the Year Award for the 2021-22 campaign.

In 635 career games with the Celtics (2014-23), Grizzlies (2023-25) and Wizards, Smart has averaged 10.6 points, 4.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game.