The Lakers have options for the veteran guard even if he opts out.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart has a decision to make this summer, and the Lakers are hoping it ends with him still in purple and gold.
The 32-year-old can pick up his $5.39 million player option for the 2026-27 season, or he can opt out and chase a longer commitment on the open market.
Either route works for the Lakers, who clearly want him back as they keep building around Luka Dončić.
According to Dan Woike and Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Lakers have already tipped their hand on the former Defensive Player of the Year.
"Smart, whom Dončić recruited in free agency, could opt out of his deal and seek a longer-term contract. The Lakers have interest in retaining him."
A Comeback Season Worth Rewarding
Smart's first year in Los Angeles was the bounce-back nobody really saw coming.
After two beat-up seasons in Memphis and Washington that limited him to just 54 combined games, Smart appeared in 62 games for the Lakers, his highest total since that 2021-22 Defensive Player of the Year run in Boston.
He averaged 9.3 points, 3.0 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.4 steals while shooting 39.5 percent from the field and 33.1 percent from three.
While the counting numbers won't blow anyone away, Smart led the Lakers in plus-minus during the regular season, which was the stat that actually mattered most to people watching him every night.
His value jumped another level once Doncic and Austin Reaves went down before the playoffs.
Smart stepped into a featured role and averaged 14.7 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.7 rebounds while shooting a ridiculous 44.8 percent from deep in the first-round upset of the Houston Rockets.
Why Keeping Him Makes Sense
The Lakers wrapped up the regular season at 53-29 as the fourth seed in the Western Conference before getting bounced by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the conference semifinals, and a lot of how they got there ties back to what Smart did on a nightly basis.
He took the toughest perimeter assignment in every game and gave Dončić a defensive partner the roster simply did not have last season, while also helping the 2025-26 Lakers keep their identity together through long stretches without their best players.
Head coach JJ Redick raved about Smart's communication and accountability all year, and Dončić himself called him "the key to our wins almost every time" after a midseason win over the Pelicans.
With Reaves and LeBron James also weighing massive offseason decisions, locking in Smart gives this group continuity at a position where the Lakers cannot afford to take a step back.
If the dollars work, bringing Smart back is the easiest call the front office will make this summer.