How Former Cowboy Star Can Bring Leadership to Rebuilding Wizards
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A former Oklahoma State star is in a new situation and has to find new ways to contribute.
The NBA trade deadline was at its wildest in 2025. With multiple stars switching teams across the league and changing the entire landscape, some moves that would have dominated headlines in previous years went completely under the radar.
Among the sneakily significant moves of the deadline was the Memphis Grizzlies sending Marcus Smart to the Washington Wizards. In his season and a half with Memphis, Smart never got to play much due to injuries.
At the time of the trade, Smart was still recovering from his latest injury and had just played in his first game since December. After missing his first few games after getting dealt to Washington, Smart suited up for the Wizards for the first time after the All-Star break.
In his first appearance with the team, Smart had five points and two steals in 17 minutes as his team narrowly lost to the Milwaukee Bucks.
However, he began to look much more like the old version of Smart in his second game with the team. In a win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, Smart had 10 points and a steal in 22 minutes and even drew a crucial offensive foul in the final minutes to get his team a big stop.
MARCUS SMART IS FIRED UP 😤
— NBA (@NBA) February 25, 2025
TAKES THE CHARGE. HITS THE KIP UP. 🕺 pic.twitter.com/jKhoe69BkG
Those types of plays became common throughout his near-decade with the Boston Celtics and helped him win Defensive Player of the Year in 2022. Even before he got to Boston, Smart made many winning plays like that at OSU.
With so much experience under his belt and an unwavering competitiveness, Smart’s ability to help the Wizards is clear. As a young team that has struggled to find wins throughout the season, Smart could be a driving force in the team’s turnaround.
As the prototypical veteran presence for a rebuilding team, Smart can set the tone defensively and mentor players such as Bilal Coulibaly and Bub Carrington, who could learn some valuable defensive tricks from Smart. Although Smart won’t suddenly be the difference between the Wizards being the worst team in the league and being a playoff contender, he could be a foundational piece as the team looks to become more competitive over the next few years.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.