Lakers Rumors: Latest Buzz on JR Smith Contract After Avery Bradley's Decision

It just got a lot harder for the Lakers to secure an NBA championship this season.

The 2019-20 season is tentatively set to start up again on July 30, with 22 teams returning to play at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. However, Avery Bradley will not be among the players returning to play.

The Lakers guard has opted out of the restart, he told ESPN on Tuesday, citing family concerns for the reason he won't be playing.

Bradley's oldest child, Liam, has issues recovering from respiratory illnesses, which may have made it difficult for him to be cleared to enter the "bubble" in Orlando with his family.

"As committed to my Lakers teammates and the organization as I am, I ultimately play basketball for my family," Bradley told ESPN. "And so, at a time like this, I can't imagine making any decision that might put my family's health and well-being at even the slightest risk."

Bradley is a key leader in this Lakers team, which is making a push for the NBA Finals as the current No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. 

According to the Los Angeles Times, Bradley's teammates weren't surprised by his decision. Bradley is also a co-leader with Net's Kyrie Irving in the players coalition that has sought to center issues of social justice and racial equality in the NBA restart. The father of three has been vocal in his support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

There have been a few different names thrown out as likely candidates to replace him in the lineup, such as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso.

However, JR Smith has "emerged as the leading candidate" to replace Bradley on the roster, according to senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski. 

The free-agent guard has been out of the NBA for two years—his last game was in November 2018 with the Cavaliers. Smith had worked out with the Lakers back in March, but the team went on to sign Dion Waiters to a deal instead. Smith is a 15-season veteran most known for his stint in Cleveland, which included an NBA title, alongside LeBron James. 

With experience playing alongside James already, chemistry would not be an issue for them—despite the viral moment between the two from the 2018 NBA Finals that saw James upset with Smith for costing them Game 1.

Smith has even said to be working out with the Lakers as recently as the past few weeks, according to Los Angeles Times' Brad Turner:

Bradley was crucial to Los Angeles' defense and started 44 of the 49 games he played in. When he was out with injury, Caldwell-Pope averaged 8.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in his place.

While there are players already on the team who can help fill the hole left by Bradley, Smith could be an immediate asset to the team trying to secure an NBA title before Anthony Davis has to opt into the final year of his contract and LeBron James becomes a free agent in 2021.