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UPDATE: June 29 — IT’S HAPPENING!!! Smith and LeBron James are reuniting with the Lakers for the return of the NBA season in Orlando. A deal is expected to be finalized by Tuesday’s deadline, per Marc Stein of the New York Times.
The Lakers, league sources say, are expected to finalize a rest-of-the-season contract with J.R. Smith before Tuesday's 11:59 PM ET closure of the NBA's "transaction window"
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 29, 2020
Rosters for the NBA restart at Walt Disney World must be turned in to the league office Wednesday
Don’t look now, but we could get J.R. Smith in Orlando. Late Tuesday night, Los Angeles Lakers G Avery Bradley decided to sit out the season return in Orlando, per reports. Now, it appears Smith is emerging as a candidate to replace Bradley on the roster for the Lake Show.
Free agent guard JR Smith has emerged as a leading candidate to replace Avery Bradley on the Lakers roster, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 24, 2020
Bradley cited personal reasons for sitting out of the return in Orlando. He had been starting at guard alongside Danny Green for L.A. With Bradley out, we get not only JR in the bubble but the long-awaited reunion with LeBron James. The last time Smith was in the NBA was back in 2018-19 with the Cleveland Cavaliers. It’s been a while since he played an NBA game and we don’t know what kind of shape he’s in.