Report: Lakers G Marcus Smart declines $5.4M option

Field Level Media|published: Mon 29th June, 13:47 2026

Mar 8, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart (36) reacts against the New York Knicks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart declined his $5.4 million player option for the 2026-27 season and will become a free agent, ESPN reported Monday.

Smart, 32, signed a two-year, $11 million deal with the Lakers in advance of the 2025-26 season. In 62 games (54 starts) last season, he averaged 9.3 points with 3.0 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals.

Over 12 NBA seasons, Smart has averaged 10.5 points with 4.4 assists and 1.6 steals in 697 games (441 starts) with the Boston Celtics (2014-23), Memphis Grizzlies (2023-25), Washington Wizards (2024-25) and Lakers.

A first-round draft pick (sixth overall) by Boston in 2014, Smart was the 2021-22 NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

--Field Level Media

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