Los Angeles Lakers Sign J R Smith for the Entire 2020 Season
J R Smith is the new member of the LA Lakers. The Lakers sign Smith for the 2020 resumed season. He is replacing Avery Bradley who has opted to not play in the currently resuming season. Lakers and Smith will soon reach an agreement that will formally have him play for the Lakers for the rest of this season. Smith will fix a contract known as a rest-of-season which will have him play for the Lakers for the reminder of 2020. The deal will come through before 30th June. This is because the night of June 30 is the deadline that is set for transactions. This report comes in from Marc Stein who works with The New York Times. This is a lucrative contract for Smith since he is now playing for one of the most famous teams of the NBA.
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Numerous reports of Lakers sign J R Smith
Marc Stein isn’t the only one who has a take on this. A lot of other reporters and channels scoop in on this story. Adrian Wojnarowski from ESPN is confirming that Smith is indeed getting a contract from the Lakers. He also adds that the contract will materialize on 29th June. Smith isn’t new to playing for prestigious teams. He has had an illustrious career before and this is just a new endeavour for him. Smith was LeBron James’s teammate when they played four seasons. They played together in Cleveland and are good friends since a long time.
Pre-planned deal
The LA Lakers have been eyeing Smith for quite a while. They even expressed their interest in him at multiple points during this entire season. Earlier in June, they reached out to him with a more formal proposal. It makes sense for the Lakers to onboard Smith as Bradley’s replacement. The team needs a solid player to fill in Bradley’s shoes. Last month, people once saw Smith chilling with Anthony Davis and LeBron James. Smith is 24 years old and he hasn’t played this entire season during 2020. Despite being away from the NBA for this season, the Lakers have shown keen interest in him. He did play as a member of the Cavaliers during last year but that too only for 11 games. He ended up attaining a buyout contract with the Cavaliers.
Smith is a 37.3% 3-point shooter as per his records encompassing his entire career. His points per game average is 6.7 during his last season. These credentials boost his image and will help him bag a good deal from the Lakers. The Lakers too are eager to sign him on since they have an opening in their team. This is an opening that needs to be filled quickly and Smith is seemingly perfect for it.
Final Thoughts
With the COVID-19 pandemic impacting the NBA’s schedule, the rest of this short season is going to be packed. Smith is going to see a lot of action during this fast-paced season. This may help cement his place with the Lakers permanently. The Lakers too will look forward to seeing how Smith gels with the team.