A brutal week for Boston Celtics fans, in the wake of their team’s first-round playoff elimination, finally got its first bright spot. On Monday night, the rival Los Angeles Lakers saw their season come to an end at the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in a 4-0 sweep.
It’s always sweet to see the Lakers lose, especially nowadays. This summer, they’ll have quite the line of decisions staring them in the face. Do they bring LeBron James back? Does he even want to be back? What will become of free agent Austin Reaves? What about Marcus Smart, is he going to opt into his player option?
Smart, the longtime Celtics fan favorite, inked a two-year deal to join the Lakers last summer, after he was waived by the Washington Wizards. Year two includes a player option, which enables him to opt out and test the free agency waters this year.
Testing the waters, though, doesn’t necessarily mean he’d leave Los Angeles -- an unfortunate reality for Celtics fans who were hoping he’d come back to town for a second stint in green. According to Dan Woike and Sam Amick of The Athletic, Smart seems to be a part of the Lakers’ plans, perhaps even beyond next season.
“Smart, whom [Luka] Dončić recruited in free agency, could opt out of his deal and seek a longer-term contract,” the pair wrote. “The Lakers have interest in retaining him.”
Whether or not the 31-year-old will opt out has yet to be seen, but leaving L.A. at this point doesn’t feel likely for him. Smart had his most impactful season since being traded away from Boston three years ago.
Whether he opts out or not, Smart appears destined to remain in LA
He largely stayed healthy, appearing in 62 games, and helped the Lakers play their way into a fourth-place finish out West.
Smart averaged 9.3 points, 3.0 assists, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 39.5% from the field and 33.1% from beyond the arc.
More than anything, though, he proved that he can still contribute to winning -- which is why there are plenty of Celtics fans who are holding out hope that he’d find his way back to Boston this summer.
He’s an adept ballhandler, great passer, hard-nosed defender, and one of the great hustle guys in today’s NBA. There’s no question that Smart can provide an edge that many fans may feel that this Cs’ team needs after the way the season ended.
Unfortunately, given the reporting out of Los Angeles, and the fact that he has seemingly found his place within a competitive squad, it feels extremely unlikely that Smart will rejoin the Celtics this summer.
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