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00:00The Lakers are reportedly finalizing a deal to sign J.R. Smith for the rest of the season.
00:05Now, rosters for the NBA restart must be turned in to the league office by Wednesday.
00:10So joining me now to discuss this is our Lakers reporter Melissa Roland. And Melissa,
00:14the Lakers have been in talks with Smith reportedly since Avery Bradley opted out
00:18of the restart. But J.R. hasn't played an NBA game since November of 2018.
00:23What will he add to this Lakers team?
00:26Exactly, Madeline. That's a big question mark because nobody knows what conditioning he's
00:30going to be in, what his mental sharpness is going to be. But there is a huge advantage to
00:34signing J.R. Smith in that he played alongside LeBron James from 2015 to 2018. So he'll be able
00:41to seamlessly plug in. They know each other. It'd be very tough to integrate somebody who
00:45did not know any of the Lakers players with only eight regular season games before the playoffs.
00:51J.R. Smith and LeBron James won a championship together back in 2016. They have a good rapport.
00:56And J.R. Smith is a good defender. He's a good spot up shooter. He'll clear space on the floor
01:01for LeBron James and Anthony Davis, which is what they needed. So it's a smart decision for the
01:06Lakers. But like you pointed out, there's a lot of unknowns as well. I mean, we saw LeBron vouch
01:12for J.R. back when he was with the Cavs. Obviously, LeBron probably vouch for him again. Worth noting
01:16as well, Smith is repped by Clutch Sports. So this signing would bring the Lakers total to six
01:22Clutch clients. Melissa Roland, thank you so much for taking the time.