Now are the Lakers a title contenders after this acquisition? Nope I don't think so because I look at their depth and it's still bad compared to other title contenders on the West like the Thunder, Nuggets, and even the Rockets. They can clinch the playoffs though. I wonder who they will be getting though to improve their bench.
Smart is obviously not a player who will have a major positive impact on the team's performance. It's also not clear whether LeBron will stay with the Lakers next season or not. If LeBron goes to another team, and the Lakers don't find an equal replacement, they won't be a title contender next season.
Smart is good addition on Lakers. Having a defensive guard like him could make their team became more stronger.
Also I think Lakers would be more fine if Lebron is out on their team since they are free to do rotation without getting any problem with their main stars. With that they can build a solid roster around Luka and this will be good for long term on their organization. Lebron is marketable but since he shows some interest to leave Lakers I guess they don't have any choice but to prepared on that situation. Lebron is so exceptional but I guess Lakers is fine since Luka is there.