Any Boston Celtics fans who still want to root for Marcus Smart, even if we're going on Year 4 of his post-Celtics tenure, are more than entitled. It's much easier now because he's no longer on the Los Angeles Lakers. Even better, besides the fact that Smart recently fired a parting shot at the Lakers, his strong preseason play further confirms that letting him walk was a major mistake.
Smart is coming off the best season he's had since Boston traded him - the previous two were ruined by injuries - but he ultimately decided to rejoin Ime Udoka in Houston. In last night's preseason game between the Rockets and Mavericks, Smart looked quite good.
It's not your typical Smart stat line, but it's still one that should make one wonder: why on earth did the Lakers let him go? He put up 20 points, five rebounds, four assists, one block, and four threes, all while shooting seven-for-13 from the field.
Again, not exactly what Smart is known for, and it is preseason, but it begs the question: why did the Lakers let him walk? Especially after what they did this summer. They put an emphasis on defensive fortitude, hence why they paid through the nose to get Walker Kessler.
It makes sense, as he's a two-way center who fills quite the void for them, but also helps cover some of Luka Doncic's and Austin Reaves' flaws on the defensive end. It was a risk they had to take. But if that's the case, why not bring Smart back?
It's not like Houston paid up for him. Three years, $21 million for an aging Marcus Smart is pretty good value, even if he's not DPOY Smart.
Even crazier is who they paid instead
As it turns out, the Lakers had cap space this summer. They absolutely could have kept Smart if they wanted to. Maybe they did, but they didn't want to pay him at the price the Rockets did for... reasons. So who did the Lakers spend that money on? Collin Sexton.
Let the record show that Sexton is a solid player who's quite efficient at what he does as a score-first guard, but is he really what the Lakers need? He'll do his best, but pairing him next to Doncic and Reaves feels superfluous.
Was this really what the Lakers' front office was thinking this summer?
"Our two best players are two guards who can score at will and don't provide much resistance defensively. You know what this team needs? Another guard who can score at will and doesn't provide much resistance defensively! Only smaller!"
In any case, the bottom line is Smart isn't a Laker anymore, which could make any Celtics fan who is still in his corner root for him going forward. It's just all the more funnier to know that the Lakers opted against what was a pretty straightforward decision.
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