After a disappointing 3-2 road trip, there’s a chance the Los Angeles Lakers may receive some personnel help.
According to a Lakers source close to the situation, veteran guard J.R. Smith will take part in a workout for the team this week.
“There are no guarantees,” said the source.
“They want to see what he can do and if it is a fit, we’ll take it from there.”
Many around the basketball world have felt that the Lakers need another playmaking and/or scoring guard in order to solidify their chances of winning an NBA championship.
Smith, 34, could help provide some of that.
Although he’s not a playmaker, he has career averages of 12.5 points a game on 37.3 percent shooting from 3-point range. He’s always been known as a streak shooter who can shoot his team into a win when he gets hot.
His shooting could no doubt help a Lakers team that, at times this season, has gone cold from downtown.
Smith was a teammate of LeBron James for three and a half seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers during the latter’s second stint there.
Smith played a key role in the team’s 2016 NBA championship, starting every game that season and hitting 43.0 percent of his 3-pointers during the playoffs.
Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing 225 pounds, Smith could also help the Lakers by giving them a player who can play backup small forward.
He last played an NBA game on Nov. 19, 2018, against the Detroit Pistons. The Cavs waived him shortly afterward, as the guard expressed unhappiness with the team.
