When asked by Yossi Gozlan during an episode of The Third Apron podcast, when Lakers essentially chose Colin Sexton above Marcus Smart in free agency, Lakers insider Giovan Buha suggested the former Defensive Player of the Year may not have been thrilled to re-sign in Los Angeles.
“I don’t have a lot of clarity about it, and there are different accounts of how it happened,” Bukha said (Link to YouTube; hat tip to LakersNation). “But I understand that to some extent Smart was willing to move forward in a different situation.”
Early on the morning of July 1, Smart accepted a two-year, $12.4 million offer from Rockets which includes a second-year player option. A few hours later, it became known that the Lakers had made a deal Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashviliand Sexton, who signed a two-year, $19.2 million contract with Los Angeles
We’ve got more from across the Pacific:
- As part of the speculative discussion about which players might appear WarriorsTrading goals in the next year or two, noted Tim Kawakami Warriors plus minus podcast (19:04 mark) that Golden State is on a high The sun a star Devin Bookerwhom Steve Kerr coached during the 2024 Olympics. “I think the Warriors love him too much if you ask me,” – said Kawakami. “But they love him. Steve loves him. Booker loved playing for Steve.”
- Referring to a recent addition Ben Simmons under a contract with a non-guaranteed minimum wage, The necklaces general manager Scott Perry said he’s excited to “help be a part of his journey back to the court,” as KCRA News’ Sean Cunningham reports (Link to video on Twitter). “Knock on wood, he’s healthy now” Perry said. “I know it’s been a long road to get back to this point. (It’s exciting) just to be able to be a part of it with him and hopefully watch him get back on the basketball court and do some of the things that made him such a special player early in his career.” The second course of Kings of the Guard Nick Clifford added that he believes Simmons will be a player to “learn from” as the former No. 1 overall pick has had “ups and downs” throughout his NBA career.
- Steve Ballmersolution not to pursue legal proceedings against the NBA after initially vowing to fight its anti-corruption sanctions is logical Sportico’s Michael McCannwhich observes that any legal proceedings initiated Clippers will “open the door to judicial review of transactions which now appear to be of interest federal investigators.”