Los Angeles Lakers eyeing J.R. Smith for restart
It was expected for, at the very least, a few players to opt-out of the NBA’s restart plan. Teams could replace any of those players with qualifying free agents for the restart. Late Tuesday night, it was reported that Avery Bradley had informed the Los Angeles Lakers that he would indeed be sitting out the restart.
There will almost certainly be more players that follow in Bradley’s footsteps over the course of the next few days, and perhaps weeks.
Teams around the league began testing Tuesday and are expected to ramp training up, leading to a mini-training camp taking place in Orlando in mid-July before games are resumed.
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In Bradley’s absence, there are a number of ways the Lakers can go to replace him on the roster. One player that makes sense and one that the Lakers have already been linked to is J.R. Smith. He’s a player that LeBron James has played with before and a veteran that will come in, know his role, and not push the envelope either.
"[via ESPN]Free-agent guard JR Smith, out of the NBA for two years, has emerged as a leading candidate to replace Avery Bradley on the Los Angeles Lakers’ roster for the season’s Orlando restart, sources told ESPN."
It’ll be difficult to replace Bradley in the Lakers’ rotation, who was playing some of his best basketball during the hiatus, but Los Angeles will have to try and do the best with what they have available – something that could be the case for many teams other than the Lakers.
Throughout the months of February and March, Bradley was averaging 11 points on 44 percent shooting from 3-point range. He was also playing more than 25 minutes per game for the team. He was a valuable rotation player that will be missed.
Others will certainly have to set up and perhaps Smith (or whichever free agent is signed) will even see some run in the postseason.
The Los Angeles Lakers have bright hopes for the NBA’s restart. They’re gunning for a championship.