The row is full! Doncic recruits himself! Smart joins the Lakers for 11 million in 2 years

Good morning for those who have long liked and supported the Los Angeles Lakers! Let me tell you a great news that from today onwards, the Lakers finally have their own defensive players! Although you lost the league's top 3D Finney Smith this summer, Pelinka has now successfully introduced the 2022 DPOY Marcus Smart to the Lakers. Everyone should be satisfied with this! On July 20, according to a well-known ESPN reporter Shams, defensive champion Marcus Smart reached a buyout with the Washington Wizards and signed a two-year franchise contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.

So far, the winner of the 2022 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award has officially become a Lakers player. In the new season, they have joined hands with Luka Doncic and LeBron James to start a new chapter in their careers. Lakers fans can finally say proudly that now we have our own top defensive players! Smart, known for his strong defense in his career, can choose to join forces with Doncic James, which will have a very positive effect on the Lakers. This summer, the Lakers lost the league's top 3D Finney Smith in the free market very unexpectedly, which can be said to have given them a blow, because the Lakers never expected Finney Smith to choose to leave this summer! Fortunately, Lakers general manager Pelinka has now successfully introduced top defensive player Smart to the team, which has made up for the vacancy of Finney Smith's departure to the team to the greatest extent.

Little did they know that the reason why the Lakers were able to sign Smart for 11 million in two years has the most direct relationship with Luka Doncic. According to well-known reporter Marc Stein, Lakers star Luka Doncic personally sent a recruitment request to Marcus Smart this week. It was his statement that impressed the defensive player. It is reported that after the Wizards allowed Smart's agent to explore the potential next home after the buyout, Luka Doncic acted quickly and expressed his strong desire to join the Lakers. There is no doubt that Luka Doncic's direct communication had a practical impact on Smart's decision-making process. In the end, Smart and the Lakers reached a cooperation intention and signed a two-year, $11 million franchise contract. In the 2024-25 season, Marcus Smart played in 34 regular season games for the Memphis Grizzlies and the Washington Wizards, averaging 20 minutes per game, scoring 9.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.3 blocks, with a shooting percentage of 39.3%, a three-point shooting percentage of 34.8%, and a free throw shooting percentage of 76.1%.

According to statistics, the Lakers' fourth signing of a defensive player of 11 million in two years is the Lakers' fourth signing this summer. Before this, Lakers general manager Pelinka successfully signed No. 1 center DeAndre Aiton in the free market, 23-year-old young shooter Laravia, renewed the contract for center Jaxson Hayes, and now signed top defensive champion Marcus Smart. The Lakers successfully upgraded their lineup through these four signings, which made their lineup more reasonable, balanced and perfect, thereby maintaining the competitiveness they should have in the West!

There is no doubt that the Lakers can sign Smart, the best defensive player in the league in 2022 at a price of 11 million in two years, is definitely a favorable feat that makes the Lakers happy! With Smart joining, this will allow Doncic James to see hope for the championship next season again, and James will be more confident in starting his 23rd season of his career in the Los Angeles Lakers.

Of course, Marcus Smart joins the Lakers and has a good match! The Lakers even directly asked the star Luka Doncic to recruit him personally, and there was no one else to treat him. You should know that those are Luka Doncic, the top five superstars in the league, are willing to put down their posture and come forward to recruit Marcus Smart, who is not a big star. It's incredible to think about it! From this we can see that Doncic said that he wanted to become the person who brought the championship to the Lakers was not just a casual statement, he was actually taking action.

Congratulations to the Lakers on successfully signing defensive champion Marcus Smart! I look forward to Smart becoming a strong helper for Doncic James! Come on, Marcus Smart! Come on, Los Angeles Lakers!