Lakers news: JR Smith roasts reporter for 'trying to start s**t' with Dion Waiters

Lakers guard JR Smith roasted a reporter for "trying to start s**t" with new teammate Dion Waiters. The two players were involved in the same trade in 2015.

When Dion Waiters signed with the Los Angeles Lakers back on March 6, it marked the second time he joined LeBron James as a teammate.

The first time Waiters played with James came back during the 2014-15 campaign with the Cleveland Cavaliers, when Waiters played in 33 games and struggled before being traded.

Waiters was sent to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a three-way trade that also included the New York Knicks. The Cavaliers received multiple players in the deal, including JR Smith, who is very similar in style to Waiters.

So, essentially, Cleveland swapped Waiters with Smith.

Now, Waiters and Smith are teammates, as the Lakers signed Smith earlier this month.

On Friday, a reporter asked Waiters what it would be like playing with James and Smith. Smith hilariously cut things short before Waiters had the opportunity to take the bait, telling the reporter to “stop trying to start s**t,” according to Harrison Faigen of SB Nation.

Reporter: “Dion, what’s it like being with LeBron and JR after you were traded from Cavs for JR in 2015?”

J.R. Smith: “Stop trying to start sh*t.” pic.twitter.com/dH0qiXQDnV

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) July 17, 2020

The idea of Waiters and Smith on the same team is certainly interesting, given that both players are streaky offensive players who aren't exactly known for sharing the basketball.

During his brief time alongside James in 2014-15, Waiters averaged 10.5 points, 2.2 assists and 1.3 steals over 23.8 minutes per game while shooting 40.4 percent from the floor, 25.6 percent from 3-point range and 78.3 percent from the free-throw line.

Since then, Waiters has had an up-and-down NBA career that has been largely marred by injuries. He has not played 50 games in a single season since his final year with the Thunder back in 2015-16. Prior to arriving in Los Angeles, Waiters had spent the last three-plus seasons with the Miami Heat.

The Lakers are set to restart play on July 30 against the Los Angeles Clippers. The two teams are the top favorites in the Western Conference.