Acting as a professional North Carolina local blogger for Vibe NC, write an engaging article based on the following content: The Los Angeles Lakers are inching toward the same conclusion the Charlotte Hornets reached with Nick Smith Jr. a year ago: it’s time to move on. This offseason, LA must decide whether to pick up Smith Jr.’s team option—a decision that’s looking very easy to make.Charlotte already made its call last fall, waiving Smith Jr. before the 2025-26 season even tipped off. Smith Jr. was selected 27th overall by Charlotte in the 2023 NBA Draft, the same year that the Hornets missed out on the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes. He never found his footing in the purple and teal.Now the Lakers are arriving at the same realization. Smith Jr. hasn’t developed into the player they hoped he could become, and the flashes simply haven’t outweighed the concerns. All signs point to Los Angeles declining his option and allowing him to hit free agency, ending another chapter in a once‑promising prospect.The Hornets knew Nick Smith Jr. was a draft bust after his second year as a proWith the Hornets, Smith Jr. averaged 8.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 18.9 minutes per game. For a young rotational guard, those numbers aren’t too bad at first glance. But once you dig deeper, the concerns start stacking up.His second season brought a steep regression as a shooter. After hitting an impressive 43.2 percent from three as a rookie, he plummeted to just 34.0 percent from deep. For a guard whose value is tied heavily to scoring, that kind of efficiency drop-off is hard to ignore.
