The Milwaukee Bucks will reportedly host free agent forward J.R. Smith on Thursday.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on the meeting, noting the “Bucks are searching for a wing shooter and both sides will have [an] opportunity to sit down.”
Smith was released by the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier this week. The move was a long time coming, but Cleveland held out hope that perhaps Smith might be moved in a trade.
When rumblings of his release first started percolating around the NBA, it was thought that Smith would be an ideal candidate to re-join LeBron James with the Los Angeles Lakers. However, following a flurry of moves by general manager Rob Pelinka, it was reported Smith was no longer someone the Lakers would likely pursue.
Milwaukee seems to be a perfect fit for Smith, and vice versa. A team that already has a ton of talent, the Bucks are just lacking reliable outside shooters. While he isn’t perhaps as sharp as he once was from behind the arc, Smith is still willing and able to drain big-time shots, and play some darn good perimeter defense.
Last year with Cleveland, the 33-year-old played in just 11 games before the Cavs announced that Smith would no longer be a part of the team. In those 11 contests, he averaged 12.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.