Marcus Smart's one season in Los Angeles ended quietly this offseason, and the reasoning behind it is only now coming into focus. Appearing on Third Apron, Lakers insider Jovan Buha addressed the veteran guard's departure to the Houston Rockets and pointed to Smart's own readiness for a change.

“I don't have great clarity on this, and there are differing accounts of how it all went down, but my understanding is that to some degree, Smart was ready to move forward in a different situation,” Buha said in an article.

The move carried an extra layer of irony. Smart declined a $5.4 million player option with the Lakers to enter unrestricted free agency, then signed a two-year, $13 million deal with the same Rockets team he had just helped eliminate in six games in the first round of the playoffs. He was outstanding in that series, averaging 14.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.7 steals while repeatedly disrupting Houston's backcourt.

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In Houston, he reunites with head coach Ime Udoka. The two share a bond dating back to their 2022 run to the NBA Finals in Boston, when Udoka was in his first season as a head coach and Smart was the reigning Defensive Player of the Year anchoring that group. That familiarity made the Rockets a natural landing spot once Smart began looking elsewhere, and it gives Houston a veteran voice alongside Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson.

His regular season with the Lakers was productive if unspectacular on the stat sheet. Smart averaged 9.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.4 steals across 62 games while settling into the role of defensive anchor for a team built around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. His hustle and leadership left a mark on the locker room even as his offensive numbers stayed modest.

Los Angeles moved quickly to cover the loss. The Lakers signed Quentin Grimes to a four-year, $60 million contract and added Collin Sexton on a two-year, $19 million deal, giving them backcourt support behind Doncic and Reaves. They also brought in Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle on team-friendly contracts to reinforce the wing, betting that depth and defensive pressure can collectively replace what Smart provided on his own.