Sometimes the best moves are the ones you don't make, and the Los Angeles Lakers just saved Milwaukee from what would have been another monumental blunder. By signing Marcus Smart to a two-year, $11 million deal after his buyout with Washington, the Lakers inadvertently protected the Bucks from chasing a fading star whose reputation far exceeds his current reality.
Smart barely played in the last two years and has shown significant signs of decline when on the floor, yet the Bucks were among the teams showing "serious interest" in the hyper-defensive guard, according to NBA insider Shams Charania of ESPN.
The past few years Smart has played in the association should have been a red flag for Milwaukee's decision-makers, not a selling point.
Marcus Smart would have cursed the Milwaukee Bucks this season
The Bucks were clearly in need of competent guard play, but Smart's numbers tell the story of a player living off past glory.
Smart appeared in just 34 games across two teams last season, averaging nine points, 3.2 assists, and 2.1 rebounds. His 3-point percentage dropped to below league average at 34.8 percent, while his overall field goal percentage of 39.3 percent represents a stunning decline for a player who was never known for offensive efficiency to begin with.
To be fair, the quick-twitch athleticism and anticipation that made him elite on the defensive end are clearly still there. According to Cleaning the Glass, Smart remains in the 92nd percentile in defensive rating, as opposing offenses found themselves scoring -6.9 fewer points per 100 possessions when Smart played for Washington.
But his scoring has seen better days, too. He's in the 31st percentile in offensive rating, while PBP Stats says the Wizards were a net-minus 7.13 whenever Smart played. While he was once upon a time a serviceable scorer, he's clearly an unplayable one these days, even with the defensive upside he brings.
And so it is incredibly telling that instead of continuing their trajectory of getting younger and more athletic this offseason, Milwaukee was prepared to chase an injury-prone 31-year-old whose efficiency would have gutted their spacing-reliant attack. The fit issues would have been catastrophic for Milwaukee's offensive spacing. Smart's declining shooting would have clogged driving lanes for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
On the other hand, Los Angeles can afford to play him 15-20 minutes per game to offset Luka Doncic's defensive deficiencies, masking his limitations while maximizing his remaining strengths. Milwaukee needed someone who could play 30-something minutes nightly, which has long been a role Smart simply can't handle anymore. And so, just like the Pacers did by letting go of Myles Turner, Los Angeles saved the Bucks from themselves by stopping this move before it happened.
This near-miss highlights a concerning return to form in Milwaukee's decision-making: prioritizing name recognition over fit and current production. Smart's reputation as a championship-level defender was built during his Boston years, not his recent stint in Washington, where injuries and age caught up with him simultaneously.
Thankfully, the Bucks dodged a bullet that would have compromised both their salary cap flexibility and their roster of playable pieces. Smart's contract, even at his reduced market value, would have prevented Milwaukee from pursuing younger, more impactful guards who actually address their roster construction flaws.
The Lakers can have their aging defensive specialist. The Bucks should send them a thank-you note.