Lakers Rumors: J.R. Smith, Dion Waiters impress in workouts
By Nick Ziegler
Recent Lakers rumors are that the workouts for J.R. Smith and Dion Waiters both went well.
With the Lakers getting closer to the end of the season, recent Lakers rumors have been about who they might add for the playoff push.
Recently, the Lakers decided to waive Troy Daniels, making him and free agent and creating a roster spot for the Lakers. Many have believed that Daniels wasn’t going to make it through the season with the Lakers, and that is what happened.
As of now, it appears like they have two front-runners for the open roster spot in Dion Waiters and J.R. Smith. Both players have barely played of late, but both might be nice additions for the Lakers in the playoffs.
Monday was a busy day for the Lakers, as they held workouts for both Smith and Waiters.
Lakers have completed workout with free agent Dion Waiters and he had an impressive showing, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Next portion of Waiters' visit to the Lakers: Meeting with Frank Vogel, Rob Pelinka and Kurt Rambis.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 2, 2020
Was told in addition to Dion Waiters, JR Smith worked out for the Lakers today. His familiarity w/ LeBron and his shooting ability are seen as pluses. The Lakers are in no rush, though, and might bring in others. They have one vacant roster spot after waiving Troy Daniels.
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) March 2, 2020
Getting impressive showings from both Waiters and Smith is certainly good news for the Lakers, who are clearly interested in both players. Waiters might have some more game than Smith right now, but Smith has a lot of playoff experience and experience playing alongside LeBron James.
Smith’s ability to shoot the ball from three-point range could mean that he will be a better fit on the Lakers than Waiters. In addition to who might be a better fit on the court, the Lakers will be doing their due diligence on who will be a good fit with the team in the locker room.
By all accounts, the Lakers have great team chemistry as of now. While having talent is important, having good team chemistry is important too. Smith and Waiters have both had some issues in the past, so seeing where their heads are at might be even more important for the Lakers than how they looked on the court.
One of the positive things for Smith is that he is represented by Klutch Sports, who also represent LeBron and Anthony Davis. For Waiters, Rob Pelinka was his agent, so he certainly knows him well.
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The Lakers don’t appear to be in a rush to make a decision. However, Smith and Waiters appear to be the front-runners for the open roster spot right now.