Avery Bradley has chosen to stay home and focus on his family rather than head to Orlando for the restart.
That may mean a LeBron James/J.R. Smith reunion.
The Lakers are leaning toward bringing Smith in for the restart to fill Bradley’s roster spot, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka and Smith’s agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, were discussing a possible agreement Tuesday night and were expected to speak again Wednesday, sources said...
Smith worked out for the Lakers in February before the team signed guard Dion Waiters to a deal.
The Lakers are contenders looking for veterans they can give playoff minutes to if needed. Most of Bradley’s minutes will be split between Alex Caruso and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but the Lakers would love to add one more person they can trust to the mix.
But is Smith that guy?
When was the last time Smith stepped on an NBA court? November 19, 2018. And he played six minutes that night. His game was slipping away from him already (30.8% from three his last season), he’s not always the most focused player ever, and there was a reason other teams have not jumped to sign him in nearly two years.
Smith is a former Sixth Man of the Year and NBA champion who is a career 37% shooter from three. Maybe with the time off the Lakers could use him for depth in a limited role. However, the bottom line is if the Lakers end up leaning on Smith for significant minutes their problems are much bigger than who they signed in the transaction window.