The Los Angeles Lakers have cruised to a six-game winning streak after their most recent 108-102 victory against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night, improving their record to 38-21 and moving up to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
Incredibly, Los Angeles has possessed the NBA’s best defense over that span, boasting a remarkable 104.5 defensive rating across their last six contests while being led on offense by the two-headed monster of Luka Dončić and LeBron James.
Seeing that the Lakers’ recent stretch has been a product of their heightened defensive intensity and effort, their general manager Rob Pelinka could shape his plans for this offseason around the idea of further strengthening their defensive unit.
In fact, it’s plausible that Pelinka could inquire about completing a trade this summer for three-time All-Defensive Team selection and versatile guard from the Washington Wizards, Marcus Smart.
At 30 years old, Smart has had a tumultuous past few seasons, but his talent on the defensive side of the ball has always been undeniable.
The 2022 Defensive Player of the Year winner had a massive hand in leading the Boston Celtics to the 2022 NBA Finals before ultimately losing in six games against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.
Smart was then subsequently dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies where he only played 39 games across two seasons.
After being traded again to the Washington Wizards prior to the Feb. 6 trade deadline this year, Smart has come alive in his first four contests with the team by posting averages of 9.3 points and 1.5 steals while shooting 55.6% from the field and knocking down 36.4% of his three-point attempts.
If the 6-foot-3, 220 pound point guard’s wonderful efficiency remains stable, Pelinka could view no other option but to acquire one of the greatest defensive guards in recent league history.
By potentially acquiring Smart, the Lakers could bring in the perfect backcourt partner for the defensively-inept Dončić.
Smart could slot in to take care of Dončić’s matchups on a nightly basis while also allowing the 26-year-old superstar to conserve energy for the offensive end.
Smart has admittedly lost a step or two since his days in Boston due to injury misfortune, but he has still offered a solid 114 defensive rating per 100 possessions and 0.4 defensive box plus-minus this season.
In a potential transaction, Los Angeles could offer to ship out the contracts of Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent along with a dash of draft capital to bring in their guy, who they may hope will lead the group to top-five placement in defensive rating for the entirety of the 2025-26 season.
