Marcus Smart signing with the Los Angeles Lakers probably isn't going to shift the power in the Western Conference, but it could play a huge role in the future of the NBA for a very different reason. In many ways, the signing of Smart in Los Angeles could reveal plenty about Luka Doncic's future and, in the process, may have dealt a major blow to the Miami Heat's 2026 bold offseason plans.
According to a recent report, Luka made a "direct recruiting pitch" to Smart this past week. Who knows if that's what ultimately pushed Smart in this direction, but it's clear that it did play a role in his signing with the Lakers.
Luka recruiting players is not great for the Heat
But there's a bigger picture story here. If Luka is indeed recruiting players to come to Los Angeles, it should completely shift how his future is viewed. Because if Luka is recruiting players, I'm not sure how "stressed out" the Lakers should feel about his future with the team.
The Heat, on the other hand, should be absolutely gutted by all this. Luka is not operating like a player who may have one foot out of Los Angeles, what Miami has to be hoping for at this point.
There's no guarantee that the Heat are going to be able to land a superstar in 2026. There's really no way to do that without collusion. However, the only way the Heat's chances of landing a star will increase is if the star market is robust. And Luka being in that market would've been great for the Heat.
But if Luka is recruiting players to Los Angeles, it doesn't bode well for the Heat's hopes that he may consider leaving in free agency or via trade next season. This runs against what the Heat have to be hoping for heading into next summer.
Admittedly, it's a big leap to suggest that just because Luka is recruiting Smart to play in Los Angeles, that he's going to re-sign an extension with the team, but I'm not sure he'd be doing that if he were considering leaving.
For Lakers' fans, this reported detail, in addition to the signing of Smart, should give them a boost of confidence when it comes to Luka's future. Equally, it should give Heat fans even more pause about the mere possibility that Luka would even consider leaving Los Angeles, much less leave Los Angeles for the Heat specifically.
The Heat are clearly positioning themselves to make a bold move in 2026. It's hard to say if Luka was at the center of their plans or not. That said, there's no question that Luka is not acting like a player who is angling himself for a big move. Objectively, that's not great for the Heat, who are hoping for absolute chaos in 2026.