JR Smith Net Worth: Lakers Guard Will Only Earn $289,000 This Season

JR Smith is set to join the Los Angeles Lakers when the NBA resumes on July 30 after agreeing to play for the rest of the season.

Smith replaced the roster spot left by Lakers guard Avery Bradley, who opted out of playing in the “Orlando Bubble” citing family matters. The team quickly filled the void with Smith and another free agent Dion Waiters. The new players can have instant impact off the bench and provide much-needed outside shooting for the LeBron James-led team.

NBA teams that still have a chance of making the playoffs are invited to play some games in the Disney World without live fans in attendance. The games will determine the playoff picture and team seeding as well.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, the 34-year-old has a net worth of $35 million. As an NBA journeyman, he suited up for a lot of teams but Smith can be best remembered as a key part of the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers team that won the NBA title after overcoming a 3-1 deficit in the Finals against the Golden State Warriors.

Born Earl Joseph Smith III, the 3-point specialist was drafted by the New Orleans Hornets in 2004. Per Spotrac, he went on to play for the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks and Cavs before joining Los Angeles. He had the largest payday of his 16-year career while teaming up with James for the first time in Cleveland: Smith earned $53 million in 6 years. Aside from playing in the NBA, Smith also played as an import for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls, a team that played in the Chinese Basketball Association in 2011.

Adding Smith in the roster raised the eyebrows of some experts. Can he really add value to the team focused on winning a title or will he just serve as a locker room distraction? The fully tattooed player is a colorful personality on and off the court but if he is focused, his career averages of 12.5 points and 37 percent shooting beyond the arc will give any team instant help.

Although the Smith and James partnerships yielded a championship, fans are saying they could have won at least one more if Smith did not make a costly mistake in the closing moments of the NBA finals against the Warriors in 2018. He admitted not knowing the score and held on to the ball too long, wasting time and the chance for the Cavs to win it in regulation. The team went on to lose the game in overtime.