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Celtics rivals reportedly interested in acquiring Marcus Smart this offseason
Marcus Smart could join one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference if he's bought out.
Marcus Smart could be hitting the open market this summer.
The former Celtics standout is now on his third team with the Wizards — but could be the odd man out moving forward on a Washington roster that has 17 players under contract for next season.
With the NBA roster limit set at 15, the Wizards need to move a few players off their team before the start of next season, with a veteran guard on an expiring deal like Smart making plenty of sense, especially given both his $21.6 million salary and the Wizards’ focus on developing younger players.
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Be it a buyout on the part of the Wizards or the team potentially dangling Smart and that expiring contract in a trade, it looks as though a few of the Celtics’ top rivals are keeping close tabs of the longtime Boston guard.
According to Anthony Irwin of ClutchPoints, the Los Angeles Lakers have had “preliminary conversations” about Smart’s availability this offseason if Washington moves him, while the team that ended Boston’s title repeat hopes this spring in the Knicks are also intrigued by a defensive-minded guard like Smart.
Stefon Bondy of the New York Post reported that the Knicks are “monitoring the situation” when it comes to Smart, who could be a free agent if Washington decides to just buy out his contract to free up the roster spot.
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Injuries have plagued Smart since the Celtics traded him to Memphis as part of the deal that landed Kristaps Porzingis. The 2021-22 Defensive Player of the Year played in just 39 combined games with the Grizzlies over a season and a half before getting flipped to Washington at the trade deadline.
The 31-year-old guard averaged 9.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 34 games between the Grizzlies and Wizards last season.
Even if Smart’s impact has waned over the last few seasons since leaving Boston, a Knicks team viewed as one of the favorites in a weakened Eastern Conference in 2025-26 could use a defensive stopper like Smart.
In a reserve role, Smart could be a useful addition to any playoff team looking to add more snarl and tenacity to their bench.
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