The Los Angeles Lakers have made a decisive move ahead of the NBA’s offseason guarantee deadline by waiving veteran guard Shake Milton. The decision comes as Milton’s $3 million contract for the 2025-26 season was set to become fully guaranteed today, signaling a clear shift in roster strategy by Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka. While the move trims some weight off the payroll, it also clears an important roster and salary slot as the Lakers pivot toward a more pressing priority—finalizing the signing of former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart.
Shake Milton, a 27-year-old combo guard, joined the Lakers midseason last year following a buyout from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Though the initial hope was that Milton could provide valuable backcourt depth and function as a reliable bench scorer, his tenure in Los Angeles never quite took off. Despite flashes of offensive versatility and occasional playmaking prowess, Milton struggled to carve out a consistent role in Darvin Ham’s rotation. In 22 games with the Lakers, he averaged just 5.2 points and 1.4 assists per game, often appearing in garbage time or low-stakes matchups.
The decision to waive Milton wasn’t made in a vacuum. The timing of the move is key—his contract would have become fully guaranteed if he remained on the roster past the July 19th deadline. Instead, the Lakers chose to release him, freeing up $3 million in cap room and signaling an aggressive stance on making room for higher-impact contributors. Milton now enters unrestricted free agency, where his blend of scoring and length may attract attention from other teams in need of backcourt depth.
For the Lakers, this is not merely about Milton. It’s about something—or someone—bigger. Sources close to the franchise report that the Lakers are finalizing a move to bring in Marcus Smart, the gritty and battle-tested guard most recently with the Memphis Grizzlies. Smart, who won NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 as a member of the Boston Celtics, brings an entirely different dimension to the Lakers’ roster. Known for his tenacity, leadership, and defensive excellence, Smart would represent a significant upgrade in terms of backcourt stability and perimeter defense—two areas where the Lakers have desperately needed reinforcement.
Smart’s availability came after Memphis chose to explore trade options, looking to refresh their own roster following an injury-plagued campaign. While several teams reportedly expressed interest in Smart, it is the Lakers who have emerged as the frontrunner in recent days. The franchise sees him as a cornerstone of the team’s reshaped identity: a player capable of guarding multiple positions, facilitating offense when needed, and bringing an edge that has been missing since the team’s 2020 championship run.
The financial implications of the move are also noteworthy. While Smart’s contract commands a higher price tag—he is set to make roughly $20 million in 2025-26—the Lakers appear comfortable with absorbing that salary, especially given the new incentives and penalties embedded in the NBA’s latest collective bargaining agreement. To stay competitive under the league’s tightening financial constraints, teams must be more strategic than ever about their mid-tier salary commitments. In that context, moving on from Milton to clear space for Smart becomes a calculated and proactive step.
Furthermore, Marcus Smart brings something that goes beyond stats: a culture-changing presence. His time in Boston was marked by intensity, vocal leadership, and a level of accountability that turned a young Celtics core into perennial contenders. If LeBron James and Anthony Davis are the pillars of the Lakers, Smart would act as the connective tissue—a player who fills the gaps, raises the floor, and enforces discipline on both ends of the court. The hope is that his presence can fortify the Lakers’ locker room and elevate their defensive identity, especially after a season in which the team finished outside the top ten in defensive rating.
The Lakers have flirted with various identity crises over the past few years. After winning the NBA title in 2020 inside the Orlando bubble, the franchise has been trying to recapture the right balance of youth, shooting, defense, and experience. While the additions of Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura offered promise, the supporting cast often lacked toughness and consistency. By targeting Smart, the Lakers are signaling a return to prioritizing defensive excellence and emotional leadership—areas that have historically defined their championship DNA.
Letting go of Shake Milton might seem minor in the grand scheme of things, but it underscores a critical shift in priorities. Milton, for all his offensive skills, isn’t the type of player who swings playoff outcomes. He’s a luxury—helpful when things are going well, but not someone you can count on when the game slows down in May and June. Smart, on the other hand, is battle-tested and has deep playoff experience, including two NBA Finals appearances with Boston. He understands what it takes to win in high-stakes environments and brings the kind of edge the Lakers sorely lacked during their early playoff exit this past spring.
From a strategic standpoint, the Lakers’ decision also reflects an understanding of the Western Conference landscape. With teams like the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Dallas Mavericks all boasting physical, multi-positional guards, it’s crucial that the Lakers have a defensive specialist capable of neutralizing threats like Jamal Murray, Anthony Edwards, and Luka Dončić. Marcus Smart’s arrival would not only shore up the Lakers’ perimeter defense but also allow players like Reaves and D’Angelo Russell—should he remain on the roster—to focus more on offensive production rather than being exposed on the defensive end.
The ripple effect of Smart’s potential arrival goes further. It could allow Darvin Ham more flexibility with his rotations, opening the door for more small-ball lineups or even three-guard combinations that maximize versatility. With Smart, the Lakers would no longer need to lean heavily on minimum-salary veterans to provide playoff-level intensity. His presence would serve as a baseline for defensive expectations, helping set a tone that often wavered during stretches last season.
Milton’s departure also serves as a reminder of the NBA’s increasingly transactional nature. Once viewed as a promising sixth-man candidate during his time with the Philadelphia 76ers, Milton has bounced from team to team in recent seasons, unable to recapture the rhythm that briefly made him a breakout star. He may still find a home in the league—his mid-range touch and ability to play on or off the ball still hold value—but his window as a key rotation player on a contending team may be closing.
For the Lakers, though, the vision is clearer now than it was a few weeks ago. With LeBron James opting into the final year of his contract and hinting at one last championship push, every decision this summer carries weight. Waiving Shake Milton might appear procedural on the surface, but in reality, it’s a signal that the Lakers are no longer in the business of “waiting to see what works.” They want players who can deliver now, players who can compete in the trenches, players who know how to win.
