The J.R. Smith saga is finally over. The shooting guard has reached a new deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.
J.R. Smith and the Cavs have come to terms on a four-year $57 million deal, league sources say
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) October 15, 2016
This comes on the heels of a long negotiation process. It appeared that the two sides were far from reaching a deal. Recent reports indicated that Smith would open up negotiations with other teams in hopes of getting a deal done.
Perhaps that was enough pressure to force the Cavs’ hands into paying the guard $14.25 million per season. That may seem like a lot, but Smith was a valuable part of last year’s title team and Cleveland needed him in order to pursue a repeat championship run.
The Cavs are going to have a massive payroll next season with a huge luxury tax bill but they have almost no choice but to bring back their title-winning team. J.R. Smith gets a bad reputation at times, but he was huge for Cleveland on both ends of the floor last season. It also helps that he and team owner general manager head coach star LeBron James are great friends.
It’s a great deal for Smith and the Cavs. Now we wait and see how long J.R. will go shirtless to celebrate this win.
