Nick Smith Jr. may be taking his scoring overseas.
The former Lakers guard is close to signing with Real Madrid, according to Sportando, which cited Chema de Lucas.
Smith became a free agent after Los Angeles declined its team option on him in June. The 22-year-old spent most of last season on a two-way contract before the Lakers promoted him to the standard roster ahead of the playoffs.
He appeared in 30 NBA games, averaging 6.2 points in 12.5 minutes and shooting 39.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Smith was considerably more productive with the South Bay Lakers, averaging 19.7 points, 5.0 assists and 3.6 rebounds in 18 G League appearances. He shot 49.8 percent from the field and 37 percent on 3-pointers.
The Hornets selected Smith with the No. 27 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. He played 111 games over two seasons with Charlotte before being waived and signing with Los Angeles last September.
Heading to Europe at 22 wouldn’t necessarily close the door on an NBA return. Real Madrid is one of the continent’s premier organizations and could offer Smith a more stable opportunity to develop than another season moving between an NBA bench and the G League.
Sometimes the best route back to the league involves leaving it for a while.
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