Marcus Smart, Houston Rockets
Marcus Smart, Houston Rockets
Earlier this summer, the Houston Rockets snapped up Marcus Smart on a two-year $12.4 million contract. The second year of the deal holds a player option.
Smart, 32, is coming off a strong season with the Los Angeles Lakers. Yet, the former Defensive Player of the Year was unable to agree terms on a longer tenure with the franchise.
When speaking with Varun Shankar of the Houston Chronicle, Smart blasted the Lakers for what he perceived as a ‘disrespectful’ contract offer to start free agency.
“First off, I played so well that the offer that was ultimately given didn’t match the way that I played,” Smart said. “especially when you see guys who played way worse than I did, the offers they’re getting. And then it wasn’t any security that we wanted that they were willing to do.”
Fortunately for Smart, the Lakers low-balling him helped lead to him Houston. As a Texas native, the veteran guard will undoubtedly be looking forward to playing so close to home.
“Smart told The Chronicle that he chose Houston — where he has cousins, extended family and family friends — despite getting a bigger offer from the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom he played the 2025-26 season,” Shankar wrote. “At the same time, Smart said the Lakers offer, which he declined to specify, was ‘disrespectful.'”
Smart Reunites With Rockets’ Ime Udoka
Another part of the decision to sign with the Rockets was that Smart would be reuniting with former head coach Ime Udoka. The duo worked together during Udoka’s lone season with the Boston Celtics. It just so happens that season was the same on where Smart won Defensive Player of the Year honors.
“In addition to returning home, another draw for Smart was reuniting with Rockets coach Ime Udoka,” Shankar reported. “…He said Udoka’s coaching techniques are unique in the NBA and informed by his playing career. Udoka understands what it takes to succeed in the NBA and can bring the best out of players because nothing is sugarcoated.”
Udoka also appears pleased with Smart’s addition, telling the Houston Chronicle that “He’s everything I’m all about and vice-versa.”
Since taking over as the Rockets head coach, Udoka has worked tirelessly to instil a culture within the locker room. Smart’s experience and hard-nosed playstyle will go a long way to helping evolve and cement that culture with the younger talents.
Smart Can Do More Than Play Defense
When a player is viewed as a specialist in any given area, it’s easy to overlook the other aspects of their games. For Smart, that means his offense is rarely discussed, as his defense often earns the headlines.
However, Smart is a reliable presence on the offensive end. In 2022, he was the Celtics’ lead point guard as they made their way to the NBA Finals.
Smart can operate as a primary or secondary ball-handler. He’s a reliable playmaker. Furthermore, over the years, Smart has improved his perimeter shooting and shot selection. As such, he’s going to be a valuable addition to Houston’s rotation next season, much to the chagrin of Lakers fans.
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Adam Taylor is a basketball reporter covering the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Miami Heat for Heavy. He holds bylines for CelticsBlog, USA Today and Yardbarker. Adam also covers the WWE and AEW. He has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Open University. More about Adam Taylor
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