5. J.R. Smith
After the Bradley news broke, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to break the story that J.R. Smith was the most likely free agent to replace Avery Bradley on the roster. The Lakers got a good look at Smith on the court when they worked him out before they signed Waiters, so it is not a surprise he is their top candidate.
The move makes sense because of his familiarity with James and Klutch Sports, but it does say something that he has not played in a NBA game since 2018, and has been playing in China since then. He probably wants to make a come back to help fans forget about the lasting image of him forgetting what the score was in game one of the 2018 NBA Finals.
If Smith is indeed signed, he will not bring the same type of defensive intensity that Bradley brought to the table, but he will bring more scoring firepower off of the bench. Smith has the ability to get hot from beyond the arc and can still finish at the rim despite being 34 years old.
He has always been able to get a bucket during his career and he has proven he can be a solid off-ball option playing alongside LeBron and winning 13 playoff series and one Finals out of four with him.
The Lakers might not get the same type of guard when they swap Bradley for Smith, but they might actually be getting an upgrade on the offensive side of the ball where they have not gotten much out of the guard position this season.
Some other options other than Smith that have been mentioned have been veteran Jamal Crawford and Darren Collison who is retired from the NBA and would need to be convinced to come back.
Also, former Lakers guard Nick Young seems interested in a comeback and commented “I’m ready” under a post on Instagram that was about Avery Bradley sitting out the rest of the season.