Rockets make it official! Hello, DPOY! Officially joining forces with Durant

It's officially announced~

Here it is—Smart is really heading to the Rockets. As previously reported, the two sides reached a two-year, $13 million deal, averaging $6.5 million per season.

Rockets media outlet Stunna said: Durant is thrilled about the Rockets' move to sign Smart.

It's worth noting that this marks the second time Smart and Rockets head coach Ime Udoka have teamed up. Their first partnership was during the 2021-22 season with the Celtics, when Smart averaged 12.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.7 steals in the regular season, and 15.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.2 steals in the playoffs. He was named DPOY and helped the team reach the NBA Finals.

Last season, Smart played for the Lakers on a $5.13 million salary, with the following stats:

Regular season: 28.5 minutes per game, 9.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.4 steals, shooting 39.5% from the field, 33.1% from three, and 82.2% from the free-throw line; Playoffs: 34.5 minutes per game, 12.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 2.4 steals, 1 block, shooting 39.4% from the field, 34% from three, and 79.1% from the line.

In short, the Rockets are getting a steal by signing Smart for just a few million dollars a year, and it has drawn criticism from the outside world questioning why the Lakers didn't keep this veteran. If the issue was a high contract price, that's one thing, but as shown above, it's very affordable and offers great value.

Smart was born on March 6, 1994, now 32 years old, standing 1.91m tall with a 2.06m wingspan. He was the sixth overall pick in the 2014 draft. Unknowingly, he has spent 12 years in the NBA, with his most glorious moments all in Boston. Over nine seasons with the Celtics, he made the playoffs every year and was selected to the All-Defensive First Team three times.

As for Smart bringing his talents to the Rockets, will he have a chance to reach the Finals again next season and even win a championship? It's hard to predict—time will tell.

In the 25-26 season, the Rockets, with starting point guard Fred VanVleet sidelined, finished 52-30 in the regular season, securing the fifth seed in the West. In this year's playoffs, star player Kevin Durant played only Game 2 due to injury, and the Rockets were eliminated by the Lakers in six games.