The Los Angeles Lakers will look completely different when they take the court for the 2026-27 season as the team made wholesale changes to the lineup.

The team brought in Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Kevon Looney, Jaden Hardy, Ziaire Williams, Matisse Thybulle, along with drafting Cameron Carr in the first round, adding depth and players who fit better around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, who re-signed during the offseason.

In bringing in so many new faces, they lost LeBron James, Luke Kennard, Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, Deandre Ayton, and Jaxson Hayes.

While each player brought their own strengths to the lineup, the biggest loss on the new-look team isn’t LeBron James; it’s Marcus Smart.

Speaking on the Third Apron podcast, Lakers insider Jovan Buha stated that Smart was “ready to move forward in a different situation.”

Smart ended up signing a two-year, $13 million deal with the Houston Rockets, reuniting with head coach Ime Udoka, who coached him in Boston.

Smart signed with the Lakers in 2025, inking a two-year, $10.5 million deal with the team after being bought out by the Washington Wizards. He declined his player option worth $5.4 million to become a free agent this offseason, paving the way for him to join the Rockets.

In his one season with the Lakers, he averaged 9.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and three assists on 39% shooting from the field and 33% from three. After two seasons where he couldn’t stay on the floor due to health, he appeared in 62 games, starting 54 for the Lakers.

Smart was everything the Lakers needed him to be last season, connecting the team on offense and defense. He would often take the toughest assignments on the perimeter, still proving to be one of the better on-ball defenders in the league.

He acted as a secondary playmaker with the injuries to LeBron, Luka, and Reaves throughout the season, and as a spacer when the team was healthy.

Lineups with Reaves, Doncic, and Smart had a +23.2 net rating in 434 minutes. That’s not a small size and goes to show how well he played alongside the two Lakers’ stars who are returning. He and Reaves had a +18 net rating when they were on the floor together, and a +5.7 net rating with Luka was off, showing they could provide a positive impact together when the stars sat.

Of all the players not wearing purple and gold next season, Smart’s loss will be felt the most.