NBA Free Agency 2013: Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons to Pursue J.R. Smith
By Josh Hill
The New York Knicks wants to bring back Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith but they’ll have some competition on the open market if they plan on doing that. According to ESPN New York’s Ian Begley, the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons are among “several teams” that plan on going after Smith once free agency opens at the beginning of July.
Based on early conversations, Milwaukee and Detroit are among several teams that have shown interest in free agent J.R. Smith, sources say.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) June 26, 2013
New York knew they weren’t going to be the only ones after Smith in free agency and the more teams that appear interested, the less chance the Knicks have of brining him back. New York is tied up in numerous contracts and are unable to amnesty Amare Stoudemire due to the fact they used their one contractual mulligan back when they cut Chauncey Billups loose after the 2011 Lockout.
The Bucks may end up losing Monta Ellis to the Sacramento Kings or some other team in free agency and they’ll be looking for a nice free agency signing to keep fans happy and to stay competitive in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons are a more interesting choice as they haven’t been nearly as proactive in finding free agent help and are hardly a dream destination for free agents.
Smith wants to get paid, but he also wants to return to the Knicks. It will be very interesting to watch and see where he goes and what he ends up doing once big numbers start getting thrown at him by teams not playing in New York.