The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly on the verge of signing J.R. Smith for the remainder of the 2019-2020 NBA season. The guard will join the team for the final eight regular-season games, as well as the playoffs in Orlando, Florida.

When Lakers’ guard Avery Bradley announced last week that he would not return to the team to finish the season, there were rumors that Smith would be added to the roster as his replacement. With the league set to resume at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on July 30, Smith is expected to officially be added by Tuesday at the latest.

Smith, 34, will be reunited with LeBron James, who was his teammate with the Cleveland Cavaliers for three and a half seasons. The Cavs traded for Smith during the 2014-2015 season, and the guard remained in Cleveland until James signed with Los Angeles as a free agent in the summer of 2018.

The 2018-2019 season started with Smith as a member of the Cavs’ roster, but that didn’t last very long. The veteran only played 11 games before Cleveland announced that Smith would no longer be part of the team. He was officially released on July 15, 2019.

No team has signed Smith since he was sidelined by the Cavaliers. His last appearance in an NBA game came on Nov. 19, 2018 against the Detroit Pistons. Smith scored two points on 1-4 shooting in six minutes.

Smith averaged 6.7 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 20.2 minutes per game in 2018. He shot 30.8% from three-point range and made a career-low 34.2% of his field-goal attempts.

In 2017-2018, Smith’s last full season, he averaged 8.3 points. 2.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 28.1 minutes per game. Smith shot 40.3% from the field and made 37.5% of his threes.

Smith’s flub at the end of regulation in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals when he failed to call a timeout was his last notable moment in the league, though he did shoot 37.1% from three-point range during the four-game series.

Smith played a key role in Cleveland’s 2016 championship run, averaging 12.4 points per game in the regular season. He averaged 11.5 points per game and made 43.0% of his threes in the playoffs that year.

If the Lakers remain relatively healthy, Smith might not see much playing time in Orlando. Between the 141-day hiatus and the fact that Los Angeles has all but secured the No.1 seed, there’s a good chance the veteran will get a chance to show what he has left in the tank.

jr smith
J.R. Smith #5 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts after a play in the third quarter against the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June 16, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. Jason Miller/Getty Images
RELATED STORIES
Basketball