Free-agent guard JR Smith has signed a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers for the rest of the season, the team announced Wednesday.
The Lakers and Smith reportedly have been discussing a deal since starting guard Avery Bradley opted out of the season restart in order to stay with his family.
Smith, 34, has not played in the NBA since an 11-game stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers at the start of the 2018-19 season, when he accused the team of tanking before eventually parting ways. His last full season came in 2017-18 with the Cavaliers, when he averaged 8.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 80 games in LeBron James' final season before he left to join the Lakers.
In Game 1 of the NBA Finals that year, Smith infamously lost track of the score in a gaffe that ultimately led to Cleveland losing to Golden State in overtime.NBA teams will travel to Orlando between July 7-9 to begin training camps before restarting the season July 30.When the season was halted on March 11 because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Lakers held a 5.5-game lead over the Clippers in the Western Conference standings.
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