Los Angeles Lakers Eyeing LeBron James’ Former Teammate to Replace Avery Bradley for NBA Restart

With the date for the NBA return approaching, players have already started dropping out. Portland lost veteran wing Trevor Ariza, while Washington lost their sharpshooter Davis Bertans. The Los Angeles Lakers are now the latest team to be hit.

In a major blow to the Lake Show, Avery Bradley has announced he will be unable to participate when the NBA returns. He revealed that his oldest son has a history with respiratory illnesses and so it will be risky for him to play.

At forefront of Bradley’s decision to remain w/ his family is the well-being of the oldest of his 3 children. His 6-year old son has a history of struggling to recover from respiratory illnesses and would’ve been unlikely to be medically cleared to enter bubble with his family. https://t.co/yputDg2VJp

How will the Los Angeles Lakers be affected by Bradley’s absence?

Bradley was already campaigning against the NBA return last week. Now, he says he will use this time to focus on helping the community.

“As committed to my Lakers teammates and the organization as I am, I ultimately play basketball for my family,” Avery 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. As promised also, I will use this time away to focus on the formation of projects to help strengthen my communities.”

Bradley’s presence brought the much-needed defensive security in the lineup. He is one of the better two-way guards in the league and can also be a perimeter threat. In the win against the Clippers in March, Bradley torched the rivals, going 6/12 from downtown. With him out now, Magic Johnson has also admitted it will be tough for the Lakers now.

Who will replace Bradley?

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski also reported that JR Smith has emerged as a possible replacement for Bradley.

With the Lakers potentially seeking a substitute, Smith could be a good replacement. He already had a workout with them in February before the Lakers signed Dion Waiters instead. As of now, the Lakers have six guards available in Alex Caruso, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Rajon Rondo, Quinn Cook, Danny Green, and Waiters. Smith will be the 7th option, and he can also run the Small Forward position.

The last time LeBron James teamed up with Smith in the playoffs, it did not go well. Smith had the infamous goof-up in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals. He lost track of the time as he dribbled the ball away and the game went into overtime, with the Cavs losing later. James will certainly be expecting better if they team up again.