With the month of July nearly over most of the bigger name free agents have already locked down their new deals and know what jerseys they will don for next season. The most notable remaining unrestricted free agent is J.R. Smith, who left $6.4MM on the table when he declined his player’s option with Cleveland for the 2015/16 campaign back in June. While there’s still a good chance that Smith will re-sign with the Cavs, his chances of topping that salary amount for next season are rapidly dwindling along with most of the teams’ available cap space. Smith experienced a bit of a career revival after escaping New York at midseason, though his postseason shooting woes, and ill-advised elbow to Jae Crowder‘s face that earned him a two game suspension, could not be considered closing out the season on a high note.
This brings me to the topic of the day: Where does J.R. Smith play next season, and how much do you predict he’ll earn for 2015/16?
Smith can be an explosive scorer when he’s “on” and playing under control. He’s also only two seasons removed from winning Sixth Man of the Year honors, and he did manage to steer clear of trouble while with the Cavs, except for that one postseason incident. The 29-year-old also fit into the Cavs’ rotation quite well, and the team has expressed a desire to re-sign Smith, though they reportedly weren’t pleased at him opting out of his deal.
Is remaining in Cleveland the best option for Smith, or do you see another team being a better fit? What sort of deal can Smith expect to land at this stage of the offseason? Does anyone out there believe he’ll top the $6.4MM he was set to earn? All these questions and more are fair game. Take to the comments section below to express your opinions, share your thoughts, and kill some time with your fellow hoops fans. We look forward to what you have to say.
Note: Since these Shootarounds are meant to be guided by you the reader, we certainly welcome your input on the topics we present. If there is something you’d like to see pop up here for a discussion, shoot me a message at hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com or hit me up on Twitter at @EddieScarito to submit topics or ideas for what we should present in future posts.
J.R. Smith will be back with the cavs. 4-5mil per year. 2y w/ team option
So you think it will be a team option rather than a player option, which has been the trend this Summer?
FYI-It wasn’t Jason Terry. It was Jae Crowder.
You are indeed correct. Thanks for the catch!
Question. Is the lux based on the individual year’s salary or the average annual amount?
In baseball, it’s AAV
Honestly, I though the Cavs were going to give him something like 3 years (option on 3rd year)/$34 million…it can be easily argued that his production for them was worth that, as a 3 and D wing player
Right now, I have no idea what’s going to happen. He might be better off signing a 1 year deal. It seems like the Cavs have specifically tried to put him in a tough situation. Obviously, if he is a 2nd option like he was with the knicks, his previous contract was terrible, but in his current role, that type of money is a bargain…That being said, now the free agent market is pretty muchdry after teams have used their cap space. He is better off in cleveland, so with pretty much no other suitors, they can hold it over on him. That’s why he should take a 1 year/$8.5 million deal, and get his security next year. Still a bargain for the cavs at that price (obviously they have luxury tax concerns regardless)
If the Cavs can’t work out a deal with Smith, do you see a viable replacement still on the market?
Not really…unless you use your depth differently.
That would be be an embarrassing failure on the party of the cavaliers to offer either other those deals to Jr. We are talking about a player who shot 40% from the field last year and has been sub 40% for his career. He is a sub par defender whose constant gambling often jeopardizes team defense as he goes after his mediocre 1 steal a game. Beyond his disruptive attitude, he has a long history of streakiness and only showing up to play when its time to get paid. 11m a year for a player nobody is bidding on is insanity, and 3 years of security (depending on option) is a guarantee you get the wrong Jr. Mo williams will significatly cut in to his playing time and is a much more efficient reliable player, Joe Harris will have a year in the system and could likely be counted on to spell a few minutes a game as a spot up shooter, and Iman will be back as the starting 2 guard. Anything more then 2/12 and you should let him walk, he simply brings very little to a team that has the pieces to fill his ever changing role on the team.
Your numbers are a bit misleading. Smith hasn’t had a FG% under 40% since the 1st two years of his career. Also, his career FG is 42% and while that isn’t great, it’s far better than the sub 40% career mark you suggest.
Furthermore, Smith is absolutely volatile and it would be dangerous to give him a deal past 2 years IMO. However, if Smith can mature and if the Cavs can find a way to limit his liabilities and simply reap the benefits of his dynamic 3pt shooting ability (39% for them last year and 37% for his career) then he will be a great asset.
IMO, Shump should not be a 38 minute a game SG, regardless of his contract. I would welcome Smith back at 1/$7 mil and a $10 mil team option with $3 mil guaranteed for 2016. This way, the Cavs don’t take as big of a hit tax wise this year (not much above the hit they would’ve taken had he not opted out) and Smith, regardless of how things go in 2015 will walk away with $10 mil ($7 mil guaranteed for 2015 and $3 mil guaranteed in 2016). In addition, Smith has reason to try and have a great year in 2015 so that he can net a total of $10 mil for 2016.
Career over 40% on catch and shoot 3s…which is what he does with the Cavs with LeBron setting him up
Some one didn’t read the post he replied to at all…