J.R. Smith had his season resurrected last year when the New York Knicks traded him and Iman Shumpert to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He put together a good 45 game stretch for them and was a key piece moving towards the playoffs. While he did well for them in the playoffs, the lasting memory of Smith's season with Cleveland will be his performance in the finals, when he shot only 33 percent from the field. After the season, Smith decided not to pick up his player option, and that has not been the best decision, as he is not finding many teams to be interested in signing him, according to Cleveland.com.
The option for Smith was worth $6.4 million next season, and when he turned it down, the Cavaliers were reportedly not pleased. Because he turned down his option, the Cavs seriously were considering getting another shooting guard this offseason. They were linked to both Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford, but since neither of them worked out, they are reportedly looking at bringing back Smith again.
The problem is that Smith turned down over $6 million in hopes of getting a bigger multi-year deal, but the Cavs are only offering a one-year deal that is reportedly less than the option he turned down. Besides the Cavs, it is being reported that Smith is not happy with any offers he is receiving in free agency, as many teams can only offer their mini mid-level, which is about $3.3 million, and even that seems unlikely at this point.
Aside from his streaky shooting, Smith is also a risk because of his antics on and off the court. He regularly gets suspended for doing foolish things and picking up flagrant fouls, and although he is talented, he may not be talented enough for most NBA teams to think his pros outweigh his cons.
After being acquired by the Cavs midseason, Smith put up some pretty good numbers, as he immediately became a starter. In 46 games, he averaged 12.7 points per game while making 39 percent of his threes thanks in large part to LeBron James. Playing with the best player in the world seemed to have re-ignited Smith after two straight down years with the Knicks.
Now that the Cavaliers seem to have exhausted all of their options at shooting guard and Smith can't find the contract he was looking for on the market, a reunion seems likely. Smith likely won't be getting the money he was looking for, but he will have a chance to show he deserves a multi-year deal after a full season with the Cavaliers.
