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Top J.R. Smith News
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Lakers' J.R. Smith: Only eight minutes in victory
Smith failed to record a single statistic in just eight minutes during Thursday's 103-101 victory over the Clippers.
After going off for 20 points in the Lakers' final scrimmage, Smith came back to earth Thursday, missing his only shot of the night. Dion Waiters (11 points, three rebounds, two assists and one block) certainly looked far more comfortable and thus appears to be ahead of Smith in the pecking order. This could fluctuate, though, especially if Smith gets hot at some point. Until then, he remains merely a speculative pickup if you need points and threes.
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Lakers' J.R. Smith: Goes off for 20 points
Smith erupted for 20 points (6-9 FG, 6-7 3PT, 2-2 FT), five rebounds and a steal in Monday's scrimmage against Washington.
Smith accumulated all those stats in just 25 minutes off the bench. Playing without Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Kyle Kuzma and Dwight Howard, the Lakers handed things off to the reserves and completed a perfect 3-0 record in scrimmage play.
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Lakers' J.R. Smith: Scores six points in return
Smith tallied six points (2-5 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 1-1 FT), two assists, one rebound and one steal in 15 minutes during Thursday's 108-104 scrimmage loss to the Mavericks.
Smith saw NBA action for the first time in more than 600 days and certainly looked fit and healthy. Smith was called in only three weeks ago to replace Avery Bradley, (personal) who has elected to sit out the resumption. As a player who only offers upside in three-pointers, Smith is unlikely to have any value outside of streaming in almost every resumption format.
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Lakers' J.R. Smith: Deal with L.A. official
Smith signed a contract with the Lakers on Wednesday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Smith had already finalized his agreement with Los Angeles before the NBA's transaction window closed Tuesday, so Wojnarowski's report merely confirms what was expected. With Avery Bradley opting to sit out the season restart in Orlando, Smith could be a candidate to pick up some of the minutes that are now available, though the likes of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso may be first in line to replace the starting shooting guard. In any case, Smith, a career 37.3 percent shooter from distance, will give the Lakers another veteran option on the wing.
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J.R. Smith: Expected to join Lakers
The Lakers are expected to finalize a deal with Smith before the league's transaction window closes Tuesday, Marc Stein of the New York Times reports.
News of a potential Smith signing emerged last week in the wake of Avery Bradley opting out of playing in Orlando, and it appears a deal will be reached within the next 36 hours before final rosters are locked on Wednesday. Smith, of course, has a history of playing alongside LeBron James in Cleveland, but the 34-year-old hasn't appeared in an NBA game since November 2018. During that 2018-19 campaign, Smith appeared in just 11 contests for the Cavaliers and shot 30.8 percent from three-point range.
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J.R. Smith: Draws interest from Lakers
Smith and his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, discussed a potential contract with the Lakers on Tuesday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports. The two sides are expected to continue negotiations on a deal Wednesday.
With starting shooting guard Avery Bradley (personal) informing the Lakers on Tuesday that he won't be joining the team in Orlando for the restart of the NBA season, the team has turned its focus to Smith to fill the void on the wing. The 34-year-old boasts 15 seasons of NBA experience, but he hasn't seen any competitive action since November 2018, when he was a member of the Cavaliers. Smith had previously worked out for the Lakers in February, but the team filled its open roster spot at that time with another veteran wing in Dion Waiters. The NBA will give teams through July 1 to add free agents to rosters for the restart of the season.
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J.R. Smith: Meeting with Milwaukee
Smith met with the Bucks on Thursday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Officially waived by the Cavs earlier in the week, Smith is now a free agent, and there appears to be some mutual interest between himself and the No. 1 seed in the East last season. Milwaukee is in need of a shooter after losing Malcolm Brogdon, and while Smith is a diminished player at age 33, he's a career 37.3 percent shooter from beyond the arc. Smith played in only 11 games for the lowly Cavs last season after appearing in 80 games in 2017-18.
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Cavaliers' J.R. Smith: Likely to be waived Monday
The Cavaliers are expected to waive Smith on Monday, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reports.
Unless the team is able to execute a late trade, the Cavaliers will part ways with Smith before the $15.68 million remaining on his salary becomes fully guaranteed July 31. According to Bobby Marks of ESPN.com, Smith's salary protection would increase from $4.37 million to $5.12 million if he isn't waived or traded by Monday, which offers further incentive for the Cavaliers to expunge him from the roster Monday rather than waiting another two weeks. Smith played in only 11 games in 2018-19 after it became apparent that he wouldn't receive a regular spot in the rotation while the rebuilding Cavaliers assessed some of the younger wings on their roster. Once he becomes a free agent, the 33-year-old could look to find a home with a contending club on a deal for the veteran's minimum.
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J.R. Smith: Officially waived by Cavs
Smith was waived by Cleveland on Monday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
As expected, Cleveland has elected to waive Smith prior to Monday's 5 p.m. ET waiver deadline. According to Charania, the Cavaliers were trying to find a suitor for Smith up until the deadline, but they were unable to do so. He'll now head to the open market after spending the last five seasons with the Cavs.
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Cavaliers' J.R. Smith: Won't be bought out
The Cavaliers have no intention of buying Smith out of the remainder of his contract this season and will resume shopping him via trade in June, Joe Vardon of The Athletic reports.
Vardon's report essentially rules out the possibility of Smith contributing with any other team in 2018-19, as a buyout would be the swingman's only avenue to landing elsewhere. The Cavaliers have already parted ways with Smith and don't plan to welcome him back to the team even in the event of a string of injuries, so he'll remain inactive for the rest of the season. The Cavaliers' pre-deadline acquisitions of Brandon Knight and John Henson give the team little financial flexibility for the rest of the season, prompting the front office to wait to officially move on from Smith until the summer, when ditching his contract becomes less punitive. Smith is owed $15.8 million in 2019-20 -- the final year of his contract -- but would only cost the Cavaliers $3.9 million if he's waived or traded by June 30.
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Cavaliers' J.R. Smith: No longer with Cavaliers
Smith is no longer with the Cavaliers and will likely be traded, Joe Vardon of The Athletic reports.
Smith will work out on his own while the team works to trade him, which means he will not participate in any practices nor play in any games until that happens. Smith had recently re-entered the rotation after being told the Cavaliers would focus on playing their younger players, but the losing culture the team is adopting this season is clearly something he doesn't want to be a part of. Smith's shooting ability makes him an intriguing player for contending teams to go after, but his lucrative contract likely means the Cavaliers won't get a great return in a trade.
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Cavaliers' J.R. Smith: Retreats to bench
Smith will come off the bench Monday against the Pistons, Keith Langlois of the Pistons' official site reports.
After starting the previous four games, Smith will return to a bench role as Cedi Osman rejoins the starting lineup in his place. Smith is averaging 6.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists across 16.3 minutes per game as a reserve this season (six games).
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Cavaliers' J.R. Smith: Hands out season-high five dimes in Tuesday's win
Smith supplied 13 points (5-13 FG, 3-7 3Pt), five assists, three rebounds, one steal, and one block in 39 minutes during Tuesday's 113-89 win over the Hornets.
Smith finished with season highs in assists and minutes despite missing Monday's practice with an illness. Injuries to Kyle Korver (foot), Cedi Osman (back), Sam Dekker (ankle), and George Hill (shoulder) have opened up minutes and reduced coach Larry Drew's options along the wing. However, prior to Saturday's two-point dud against the Bulls, Smith had scored in double figures in three straight games. Even if it's only in deep leagues, the 33-year-old veteran still has some fantasy value, at least for now.
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Cavaliers' J.R. Smith: Not on injury report
Smith is not on the Cavs' injury report ahead of Tuesday's game against the Hornets.
Smith missed practice Monday with an illness, but it doesn't look to be anything serious. The veteran has had a rocky start to the season, to say the least, but he's regained his spot in the rotation and has played at least 23 minutes in each of the last four games. Smith is 9-of-21 from three in that span.
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Cavaliers' J.R. Smith: Doesn't practice Monday
Smith did not practice Monday due to an illness, Spencer Davies of Basketball Insiders reports.
The severity of the illness remains unclear, leaving his status for Tuesday's game against the Hornets up in the air. Smith's availability will likely be determined following Tuesday's shootaround. David Nwaba and Jordan Clarkson are candidates to see increased run if Smith is ultimately unable to play.
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Cavaliers' J.R. Smith: In starting lineup Wednesday
Smith will start at small forward in Wednesday's game against the Thunder, Fred McLeod of Fox Sports Ohio reports.
With Sam Dekker ruled out for 2-to-4 weeks with a left ankle sprain, Smith will be thrust into the starting lineup while Cedi Osman moves to the starting power forward role. Smith, after being told he won't play this season, has played 24 and 25 minutes in each of the last two outings and scored 14 points in each. He'll now likely be due for at least that number of minutes for as long as he is in the starting five.
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Cavaliers' J.R. Smith: Role unclear going forward
Smith played 24 minutes off the bench Saturday against the Hornets, but his role with the team remains very much up in the air, Joe Vardon of The Athletic reports.
Per Vardon, GM Koby Altman has informed Smith on two separate occasions this season that he'd be out of the rotation as the Cavs focus on developing young players. However, Smith played 24 minutes on Saturday and led the Cavs with 14 points in a blowout loss to the Hornets. "As far as I'm concerned, given what our circumstances are, JR, he's a member of our team, and if I need him I'm going to call on him," interim coach Larry Drew said after the game. Vardon also notes that Altman gave smith the option to take "paid leave" away from the team, an offer Smith apparently declined, at least for the time being. Given where Smith is at this point in his career, he's not a fantasy option in most formats, and his value is likely to only become more volatile as the season progresses.
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Cavaliers' J.R. Smith: Scores team-high 14 in loss to Hornets
Smith scored 14 points (4-8 FG, 4-6 3Pt, 2-2 FT) while adding four assists, three steals and a rebound in 24 minutes off the bench during Saturday's 126-94 loss to the Hornets.
After saying earlier in the week he'd like to be traded, Smith at least went out and demonstrated he still has something to offer a contender. The 33-year-old has mostly been phased out of the rotation for the rebuilding Cavs, but it wouldn't be a shock to see him get more consistent court time in the short term while the front office showcases him,
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Cavaliers' J.R. Smith: Wants out of Cleveland
Smith said Thursday that he'd like to be traded from the Cavaliers, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reports.
This is hardly a surprise coming from Smith, as he and other veterans on the team were told that they weren't going to play in favor of the younger players. Smith has played just six minutes in the last two games, which includes a DNP (coach's decision) against the Hawks on Tuesday. Smith's fairly lucrative contract will not make it easy for him to be dealt, but he should still garner interested from plenty of competitors around the league.
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Player Bio
| HT/WT: 6-6, 225 lbs |
| Birthplace: Freehold, NJ |
| Age: 39 |
| Experience: 16 |