All Marcus Smart knew was playoff intensity in his first nine NBA seasons. Smart made the playoffs every year since getting drafted by the Celtics in 2014, so there was intimate knowledge about what the postseason is like from all angles.

Needless to say, neither of these offseason news items went over well with a large portion of the Boston faithful.

Veteran guard Marcus Smart has officially cleared the NBA waiver wire after agreeing to a contract buyout with the Washington Wizards, per the RealGM transactions log.

Luka Doncic reportedly helped recruit Smart to the Lakers. In addition, a clip from "The Old Man & the Three" podcast has been unearthed where Lakers coach JJ Redick had some glowing things to say about the former Defensive Player of the Year. In the clip, which is from 2020, Redick said that Smart is the type of player he would want on his team.

NBA fans make their feelings clear on the Lakers' targeting Jrue Holiday even after they acquired Marcus Smart.

The Los Angeles Lakers currently have 14 players under contract and are just under the first apron threshold, where they are hard-capped, after adding Marcus Smart and waiving both Shake Milton and Jordan Goodwin.

Perhaps the claims that incoming Lakers guard Marcus Smart has declined, especially on defense, have been greatly exaggerated.