J.R. Smith is about to find out how much the Cleveland Cavaliers really want him. So far based off of the comments by Cleveland Cavaliers GM David Griffin it seems that they have sincere intentions of keeping the often troubled, trigger-happy shooting guard as a part of their 2015/2016 NBA Championship run. While talking with the media Saturday, Griffin mentioned how coming to terms on a deal with Smith remains a priority.
David Griffin says JR Smith “is a player we’d like to have back.”
— Ethan J. Skolnick (@EthanJSkolnick) July 12, 2015
When Smith said no to the $6.4 million the Cavs could’ve owed him next year, he took a big chance in assuming that Cleveland would bring him back altogether. Mainly due to the fact that the Cavs had their fair share of free-agent problems already. Smith’s name was hardly the first one on their list of priorities, plus they still haven’t even reached an agreement with power forward Tristan Thompson.
On June 26, Smith opted out of his contract which would have paid him nearly $6.4 million during the 2015-16 season. Even so, there was reported “mutual interest” in a return, with Smith looking for a new multi-year deal.
I really dont think the Cavaliers have any obligations to keep a role player like J.R Smith on their team whose outrageous quotes and high-tech segways have turned him into more of a celebrity class clown than a focused basketball player.
