Lakers cut ties with former 1st-round pick before free agency

Lakers cut ties with former 1st-round pick before free agency originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

>The Los Angeles Lakers had a key contract decision to make on Monday.

>In the end, they chose not to keep Nick Smith Jr.

>Smith had a team option in his contract for the 2026-27 season, but it was declined by the Lakers, according to Spotrac's Keith Smith.

>The 6-foot-2 guard was originally the No. 27 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft out of Arkansas by the Charlotte Hornets.

>Smith was waived by the Hornets in September 2025, and he signed a two-way contract four days later with the Lakers.

>He spent almost the whole season on the two-way deal before it was converted to a standard contract in April.

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>Smith played in 30 games with the Lakers, starting one of those.

>In 12.5 minutes per night, he averaged 6.2 points.

>Smith did shoot a promising 39.5% from 3-point range.

>At just 6-foot-2, he's small for a scoring guard.

>Smith did show some of his all-around talent in 2024-25 with the Hornets, putting up 9.9 points and 2.4 assists per game.

>He's still just 22 years old, so there's a chance for Smith to stick around the NBA.

>The Lakers, though, appear to want to use his roster space on a different potential player. They could also sign Smith to a different contract if that's the way the free agent process takes them, but for now, he's heading to the open market.

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