Getty J.R. Smith is looking to be signed by an NBA team.
With all the talk of whether the Lakers will sign Dion Waiters or J.R. Smith, allow me to give you some comic relief.
Did you know that J.R. Smith and Dion Waiters almost got into a fight a few years ago?
I kid you not!
Picture it: Miami, American Airlines Arena, March 4, 2017. Waiters’ Miami Heat are blowing out Smith’s Cleveland Cavaliers 120-92. With 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Cavs’ bench and the Heat’s bench were shouting back and forth.
As the Heat were bouncing the ball to end the game, Visibly irrate, Smith was injured and sitting on the Cavs’ bench in street clothes and was yelling at Waiters. Cavs security held him back, while Waiters was held back on the other end by Heat security.
No fight ensued, but Smith was escorted to the visitor’s locker room while pointing and yelling at Waiters.
Waiters finished the game with eight points. Goran Dragic had 23 points, Hassan Whiteside had 20 points and 13 rebounds. Tyler Johnson chipped in with 17 points, Wayne Ellington had 12 points.
On the Cavaliers side, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving did not dress for that game. Channing Frye led all Cavaliers scorers in that game with 21 points off of the bench. Kyle Korver had 15 points, Tristan Thompson, Deron Williams and Derrick Williams all finished the game with 10 points.
For those keeping score at home: It is believed that either Smith or Waiters will fill the Lakers’ final roster spot.
JR Smith Scheduled for Workout with Los Angeles Lakers I’m told: t.co/2GvURgyMUF
The NBA free agent only played 11 games last season.
Workout does NOT mean signing.
My latest via @heavysan.
Waiters and Smith are both represented by Rich Paul of Klutch Sports. Los Angeles Lakers big man, Anthony Davis, small forward, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and point guard, LeBron James are also represented by Klutch.
As first reported by Heavy, Smith got a workout with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Smith was the 18th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Hornets and has a career average of 12.5 points per game during playing stints with the Hornets, Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers. Smith won an NBA Championship with LeBron James in 2016 when they were both members of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
.Waiters, was the fourth overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, James and Smith’s former team.
Waiters and James were brielfly teammates during James’ return to Cleveland in 2014.
On Monday, the Lakers met with Waiters and were impressed, I’ve heard.
Waiters, who has a career average of 13.2 points per game, was part of trade between the Miami Heat and the Memphis Grizzlies that shipped Andre Iguodala to the Heat at last month’s NBA trading deadline.
Waiters was later bought out by Memphis.