Lakers News: JR Smith Signs Contract with LA Ahead of NBA Restart

Veteran swingman JR Smith signed his Los Angeles Lakers contract, Smith's agent Rich Paul told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Per Bobby Marks of ESPN, Smith will receive $289,803 on top of the nearly $1.5 million the Cleveland Cavaliers are paying him.

Paul also told Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes that Smith will don the No. 21 jersey.

The 34-year-old is filling the void created by Avery Bradley, who opted out of the NBA's upcoming restart in Orlando, Florida.

Smith hasn't appeared in an NBA game since the Cavs' 113-102 defeat to the Detroit Pistons on Nov. 19, 2018. With LeBron James signing with the Lakers ahead of the 2018-19 season, Cleveland's championship window slammed shut, thus making aging veterans such as Smith surplus to requirements.

His stock hasn't recovered since his gaffe in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals. He dribbled out the clock in regulation rather than attempting what would've been a go-ahead basket.

Replacing Bradley with a player of similar value was impossible for Los Angeles.

Although he had a somewhat limited role on offense, his work on the other end of the floor helped the Lakers rank third in defensive rating (105.5), per NBA.com. According to NBA.com, Bradley held opponents to 24.6 percent shooting on three-pointers and 30.1 percent on shots from more than 15 feet.

Smith will be the opposite in that the bulk of his positive contributions will probably come on offense. He hit 37.5 percent of his three-pointers in 2017-18, which is almost equal to his career average (37.3 percent).

Spreading the floor is important for the Lakers because it opens up the paint for James and Anthony Davis. If the team can count on Smith to hit a few long-range jumpers in every game, then he will have served his purpose.