Free agent shooting guard J.R. Smith is dealing with the notion that he may not be back with the Cleveland Cavaliers after a strong 2015-16 campaign.
With the bulk of the 2016 NBA free agency class agreeing to new deals this summer, there are two players from the 2016 NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers that remained unsigned: the best player in the game small forward LeBron James and brilliant sharp-shooting two-guard J.R. Smith.
Many believe that James hasn’t signed a new deal with the Cavaliers this summer because he wants his close friend in Smith to have a contract in place so that they can play together for a few more years in Cleveland.
While Cavaliers general manager David Griffin did say at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas that re-signing Smith is a top priority for the organization, Smith has come to terms with the possibility that he could play 2016-17 for somebody else.
Smith said in an interview with ESPN, “I’ve thought about that situation (leaving Cleveland), and I’ve thought about it the other way, too, going back and winning again. Both are juggled in the air and I’m kind of nervous about that choice when it gets presented to me.”
While Smith is one of the most deadly three-point shooters in the game, he does have a reputation as a bit of a locker room distraction. He’s coming off a great personal season with the Cavaliers, where for the first time in his NBA career, Smith was able to focus entirely on basketball en route to his first NBA Championship as a professional.
Having a generational superstar like James in his corner only serves Smith in negotiations with the Cavaliers. Essentially, James is strong-arming Cleveland to ensure that his wing will be back with the Cavaliers in 2016-17.
James won’t re-sign until Smith is under contract. A deal should get done between Smith and Cleveland some time real soon, but the last thing the Cavaliers organization would want to do is to upset James.
He’s already fulfilled his moral obligations to bring a professional championship to Northeast Ohio. If James doesn’t get his way, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he’ll consider leaving Cleveland for another organization that is more willing to give him the players he feels he needs to win NBA Championships.
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