The Houston Rockets spent most of the 2025-26 season looking like a team that had everything except the one thing that actually matters. They had Kevin Durant. They had a roster loaded with defensive talent. But none of it held together when it counted, and the guy who drove that point home hardest might be the same guy they sign this summer.
Marcus Smart, the veteran guard and former Defensive Player of the Year, helped a banged-up Lakers team bounce the Rockets in six games during the first round of the playoffs. Now the whispers around the league say Houston is planning to grab him in free agency. According to Dan Woike of The Athletic, team and league sources believe the Rockets are the frontrunners to land Smart once free agency opens June 30. Marc Stein and Jake Fischer first reported the buzz over the weekend.
The connection here is obvious. Smart played for Rockets coach Ime Udoka in Boston. Udoka knows exactly what Smart brings: relentless physicality, defensive havoc, and a willingness to do the dirty work that Houston’s stars sometimes sidestep. Smart grew up in Flower Mound, Texas, so there’s a homecoming angle too. He carries a $5.39 million player option for next season, but his playoff performance likely priced him out of that number. He can make real money on the open market.
And honestly, his postseason showing is why this is even a conversation. With Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves both missing time in that series, Smart stepped up offensively in a way nobody expected. He averaged 14.7 points on 46.4 percent shooting and hit 44.8 percent from three. But the real damage was on defense. He racked up 13 steals across Games 2 through 4 and finished the series averaging 2.7 steals per game. LeBron James was great. Luke Kennard hit timely threes. But the Lakers might not have made it out of that round without Smart.
Now the Lakers are staring at the very real possibility of losing him. Rob Pelinka still has time to respond, but Houston is moving fast. The Rockets need an identity upgrade. Smart hands them one. He’s the kind of player who makes a team tougher just by being in the building, and after watching their season fall apart because they lacked cohesion and depth, the Rockets know they can’t just rely on Durant’s talent to carry them.
Both teams are desperate to contend in the 2026-27 season. The next few days will tell us which one lands the difference-maker.
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