The Los Angeles Lakers plan to sign free agent guard JR Smith and present his name as part of the franchise list for the restart in Orlando, Florida, sources told ESPN.
Smith and the Lakers have been discussing a deal since starting point guard Avery Bradley chose not to restart the season last week, sources said.
Smith and the Lakers were working on the final details of a contract Monday in Los Angeles, and there are believed to be no obstacles to a finalized deal, sources said.
Smith, 34, has not played an NBA game since November 2018 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Smith worked for the Lakers in February before the team signed guard Dion Waiters. Guard Alex Caruso and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will largely carry the charge after Bradley’s departure, and Waiters is expected to provide more depth in the defense zone. Rajon Rondo is another veteran guard on the Lakers’ bench.
Smith has played 15 NBA seasons since New Orleans selected him in 2004 from St. Benedict’s Prep in New Jersey. He has also made stops in Denver and New York. He won an NBA title with LeBron James and the Cavaliers in 2016 and won the NBA Sixth Man Award in 2013 with the Knicks.
The NBA has a transaction window through July 1 that allows teams to sign free agents before traveling to Orlando to restart the season.
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