Marcus Smart had a glowing review of his new team, the Rockets, when Houston opened training camp this week.
“My perception, on the outside looking in, was that ‘Damn, this team is scary,’” Smart said at Tuesday’s media day. “It’s going to cause some problems. You’re really going to have to fight, and you’re really going to have to work. That’s playing against them, and now playing with them.”
“Now, my perspective is still the same: ‘Damn, this team is really scary, and we’re going to give some teams some problems.’”
Smart, 32, also cited a great working relationship with Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, who coached Boston when Smart won NBA Defensive Player of the Year honors with the 2021-22 Celtics.
Those are all among the reasons Smart chose to
sign with Houston this offseason on a deal worth $12.4 million over two years (the second season is a player option).
But there’s more to the story as it pertains to Smart leaving his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Houston Chronicle’s Varun Shankar reports:
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. At the same time, Smart said the Lakers offer, which he declined to specify, was “disrespectful.”
“First off, I played so well that the offer that was ultimately given didn’t match the way that I played,” he 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.”
Los Angeles reshaped its team with a spending spree in free agency. According to The Athletic, Los Angeles gave out “nearly $480 million over 26 combined contract years, including four player options, to a group of players who have zero combined All-Star appearances or year-end awards.”
Exclusive: Marcus Smart called the Lakers' offer 'disrespectful.' Here's why he chose the Rockets.
— Varun Shankar (@ByVarunShankar) September 23, 2026
Plus, some notes from the first day of training camp.
Latest for @HoustonChron, free to read:https://t.co/m52aOhrzCe
The Rockets were limited in their spending power, but they clearly made Smart feel wanted. After all, Udoka knew that Smart was among the main reasons the Lakers upset Houston in the 2026 playoffs last spring.
Between that, a seemingly underwhelming bid from Los Angeles, and the appeal of his Texas roots (where there is no state income tax), Smart made the choice to switch sides and join what had been a playoff rival in May.
The first Rockets-Lakers meeting of the 2026-27 season comes Monday, Nov. 30 in Houston. Smart’s latest comments will only add to the intrigue, and it could place a chip on the veteran guard’s shoulder as he begins a new NBA chapter in Houston.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets guard Marcus Smart felt disrespected by Lakers’ contract offer
