Rockets Deemed Most Likely to Land Lakers Guard in NBA Free Agency

Houston could steal a veteran from Los Angeles for the second offseason in a row.

May 1, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart (36) handles the ball against the Houston Rockets during the fourth quarter of game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Ahead of NBA free agency, starting today at 5 p.m. CT, headlines are starting to heat up for the Houston Rockets. They already have most of their rotation set to return for the 2026-27 season, but one familiar foe could end up with the organization by the end of the summer.

Hours after it was reported that Fred VanVleet picked up his $25 million player option, Marcus Smart opted to decline his own $5.4 million player option with the Los Angeles Lakers. He will enter unrestricted free agency with the opportunity to sign a much larger and longer contract.

Here's where Houston comes into play.

According to Dan Woike of The Athletic, the Rockets are not just in play to sign Smart, but a favorite to land the former Defensive Player of the Year. He noted that Smart and Udoka have a relationship from their time with the Boston Celtics.

"Strangely enough, according to team and league sources, the belief is that the Rockets will be the team most likely to land Smart once free agency opens on June 30 thanks to a multi-year deal," Woike wrote. "Smart played for Rockets coach Ime Udoka in Boston...

"Marc Stein and Jake Fischer linked Smart to the Rockets Saturday as a possible destination."

Smart would be a major addition to Houston as both a top perimeter defender and solid offensive contributor. He averaged 9.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, three assists and 1.4 steals per game with the Lakers this past season as a 3&D guard.

The 32-year-old could be a legitimate starter next to VanVleet, Kevin Durant and the Rockets' young core. If signed, Jabari Smith Jr. or Amen Thompson would likely be moved to the bench as a sixth man, but four of the five starters would almost certainly be VanVleet, Smart, Durant and Alperen Sengun.

When the Lakers paired Smart with an offensive specialist, they were elite on both ends of the floor. According to databallr, Los Angeles posted a net rating of +8.8 with a 122.0 offensive rating when he and Luka Doncic played in medium-and-high-leverage possessions (1070 minutes). When Smart was next to LeBron James, the number was still high at +5.0 (net).

There are other teams expected to be in the mix for Smart, as he could certainly return to the Lakers. However, they also have to worry about other free agents in James, Rui Hachimura and Luke Kennard.