After playing together for four seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, JR Smith and LeBron James might reunite again as teammates. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Wednesday that Lakers are interested in signing Smith ahead of NBA season restart in Orlando.
Smith, who hasn’t played basketball since November 2018, was close to joining Lakers in February and was even invited for a workout. However, the team opted to bring in Dion Waiters at the time.
Now, Smith became an intriguing option for the No.1 team in the West again as they look to replace starting guard Avery Bradley. Bradley previously decided to skip the trip to Orlando, citing his family’s well-being and health as the main reason.
According to Wojnarowski, Smith to Lakers isn’t a done deal just yet, but the team’s general manager Rob Pelinka and player’s agent Rich Paul already had initial discussions and are expected to continue talks in upcoming days.
JR Smith started his career with New Orleans Hornets and later went on to play with Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers. He was NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2013 with Knicks while managing to win an NBA title with LeBron James-led Cavs in 2016.
Smith’s time at Cleveland turned sour towards the end, as he was removed from the team early in the 2018/19 season. The Cavaliers ended up releasing him in July last year after failing to find a trade partner for him.
