Like Bill, it’s 11 million in 2 years! The Lakers got a DPOY, but have only played 54 games in the past two years

According to the latest news, Smart has completed a buyout with the Wizards and joined the Lakers with a two-year, 11 million contract. It is worth mentioning that Bill reached a buyout with the Suns a few days ago, and also joined the Lakers' city rival Clippers for $11 million in two years. Although Bill's strength is still stronger than Smart, it is also very cost-effective for the Lakers to get Smart.

Smart is a defender who is good at defending. He has been selected for the Best Defensive Team three times and has won the Best Defensive Player. He is the second defender in history since Payton to become the Best Defensive Player. Smart also has very strong spiritual attributes and was even regarded as the team soul when he was in the Celtics. It was only in order to get Porzingis that the Celtics traded him away.

After leaving the Celtics, due to injuries and other factors, Smart's condition has declined significantly and his attendance rate is quite low. He has only played 54 games in the past two seasons. The Grizzlies also traded Smart to the Wizards last season. Smart's performance last season was average, and his personal data was the worst since the rookie season, so the Wizards reached a buyout with him.

Although Smart's strength is no longer as good as before, he is still in his year of fighting. As long as he avoids injuries, he can still make certain contributions. For the Lakers, their current lineup is strong in offense and weak in defense, and they also need defensive players like Smart to improve their defensive strength in the backcourt. As long as Smart can guarantee attendance and contribute to the defensive end, the Lakers will not lose money by signing him, not to mention that his contract is not high.

It is worth mentioning that Doncic has also actively recruited Smart recently, which is also an important reason why Smart joined the Lakers after buying out, and it also shows that Doncic is still optimistic about Smart. In order to sign Smart, the Lakers also plan to sack guard Milton to free up a lineup spot, and at the same time, it is possible to sack Goodwin, so that they have enough salary space.

In addition, Smart has played for the Celtics for 9 seasons in his career, helping the Celtics to reach the Eastern Conference Finals many times, and also reached the Finals in 2022, but unfortunately he failed to win the championship. After the Celtics traded Smart, they reached the finals again in 2024 and won the championship. As a player from the Celtics, Smart now joins the Lakers, the old rival of the Celtics, which has also embarked on the path Rondo once took.

Rondo is also a player from the Celtics and helped the Celtics win the 17th championship in team history. He then left the Celtics and played for several teams. He eventually joined the Lakers and helped the Lakers win the 17th championship in team history in 2020. Now that Smart joins the Lakers, he is expected to help the Lakers reach the finals. If he can still help the Lakers win the championship, it would be even more amazing.