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J.R. Smith has been out of the league since November 2018, but fans of the streaky and often entertaining shooting guard will have a chance to seem him in action soon. For the rebooted NBA season, Smith is slated to join the Los Angeles Lakers, and NBA Twitter definitely got their jokes off as expected.
ESPN reports:
The Los Angeles Lakers are planning to sign free-agent guard JR Smith and submit his name as part of the franchise’s roster for the restart in Orlando, Florida, sources told ESPN.
Smith and the Lakers have been discussing a deal since starting guard Avery Bradley opted out of the season restart last week, sources said.
Smith and the Lakers were working through the final details of a contract on Monday in Los Angeles, and there are believed to be no hurdles to a finalized deal, sources said.
Although the ring rust will most likely be evident with Smith not playing since 2018, fans might recall that in 2013, he was given the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award.
While his scoring numbers dipped after winning the championship with the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, Smith has the ability to explode when called for it. This also serves as a reunion for James and Smith, and perhaps opportunities for more fantastic memes.
With Smith’s return to the court, fans on Twitter have reacted as expected with some hoping that the New Jersey native still has buckets in him to aid the Lakers in their quest to take it all. We’ve got those reactions below.
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