The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t waiting around to see how their injury crisis resolves itself. With Luka Dončić nursing a strained left hamstring and Austin Reaves sidelined by a left oblique strain, Los Angeles converted two-way guard Nick Smith Jr. to a standard two-year contract Sunday morning to make him playoff-eligible, giving them one more option in what’s shaping up to be a shorthanded playoff run.
How Nick Smith Jr. Can Help the Lakers’ Depleted Backcourt
Smith wasn’t plucked from the open market. He’s been with the organization since September, signing a two-way deal after the Charlotte Hornets waived him during a roster crunch. The conversion doesn’t bring in a new face, but it does make him postseason-eligible.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the deal Sunday and explicitly noted that the move was to add backcourt depth for the playoffs. The second year of the contract is fully non-guaranteed, per The California Post’s Khobi Price, meaning this is almost entirely about the next few weeks, not next season.
The Los Angeles Lakers are signing two-way guard Nick Smith Jr. on a new two-year contract, Lucas Newton of Klutch Sports tells ESPN. With Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves sidelined, the Lakers add guard depth for the playoffs. Smith has averaged 6 points and 40% from 3 this season. pic.twitter.com/DTY3TtnsIn
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 12, 2026
The decision also came down to a choice. The front office had to decide between converting Smith or big man Drew Timme, who was dominant for the South Bay Lakers in the G League playoffs.
Lakers insider Jovan Buha noted on his podcast that Timme is “clearly the better player” but that Smith “fits more of the role of a ball handler, scorer guy who can get hot.” With the Lakers’ two best perimeter creators unavailable, perimeter creation won out.
Smith has flashed exactly that ability in limited minutes. In 29 games this season, he’s averaged 6.0 points while shooting 40% from three in just over 12 minutes per contest.
Back in November, Smith dropped 25 points against the Portland Trail Blazers, shooting 10-for-15 from the field and 5-for-6 from deep, while battling an illness severe enough that he threw up at halftime. Lakers head coach JJ Redick called him “awesome” and “really gutsy” afterward.
More recently, Smith caught fire in the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, scoring 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from three. That performance may have been the clincher for the front office.
“I like when he’s aggressive,” Redick said after Smith’s 21-point outing against the Sacramento Kings in December. “He can just do him within our structure. A lot of times, good things happen.”
The Lakers enter their regular-season finale against the Utah Jazz on Sunday holding the fourth seed at 52-29. A win, combined with a Denver Nuggets’ loss against the San Antonio Spurs, would put them in third place.
Either way, they’ve secured home-court advantage in the first round, but they’re limping into the postseason. Whether Smith can provide meaningful minutes depends on how long Dončić and Reaves remain out. What’s clear is the Lakers aren’t banking on either being ready anytime soon.
