J.R. Smith is greasing the skids for his departure from Denver.
As reported by FanHouse, Smith was involved in an altercation at the Nuggets practice facility that led to the police being called out.
According to a league source who spoke with one of the people in the gym, numerous players were taking part in drills when members of the Nuggets’ coaching staff told the player who later called police to be physical with Smith.
“They were just wanting the guy to be physical with J.R., telling the other guys, ‘Hey, body up on the guys and really make them work,’” the source said. “J.R. just lost it. He tried to choke the kid, and the kid called the cops.”
The player involved was a former D-League player who lives in Denver, according to FanHouse.
The police investigated the incident and passed the information along to the District Attorney, who chose not to file charges.
The incident may or may not have been that severe, but the fact is the Nuggets have been looking to move Smith for several weeks now. Former general manager Mark Warkentien had been his guardian angel within the organization but with him gone efforts to move Smith have intensified. He almost certainly will be gone by the trade deadline, the only question is for what.