JR Smith's next contract

[el gringos]

What kind of contract will JR sign, and with what team?


Where do you put him in the discussion for wing player free agents? I keep seeing people wanting their team to pay Wes Mathews 10+ per, so is JR worth a little more or a lot more?


Cavs likely will have to re sign him, but please don't be foolish and come in here and say jr will take a big discount to stay in Cleveland

[salwan]

knicks, 12m/year :lol

[Lensanity]

I've never said this about any player in NBA history but he is a ****ing idiot if he leaves Cleveland

[AboutBuckets]

In what world is JR Smith worth more than Wes Matthews? I know Matthews was injured and fell off the scene while JR is still playing, but let's not kid ourselves and say that Cleveland would rather have Smith than a healthy Matthews

[Kingwillball]

Shumpert should be priority but smith is perfect for the Cavs as a 6th man and hopefully will be smart enough to resign. Cavs should offer him mid level exception.

[Straight_Ballin]

Cavs front office is incompetent. I mean they can't even win a championship in all these years. Being gifted the 1st pick 3 years in a row doesn't equate to being a good gm. What makes you think they will know how to correctly treat JR smith?

[iamgine]

What kind of contract will JR sign, and with what team?


Where do you put him in the discussion for wing player free agents? I keep seeing people wanting their team to pay Wes Mathews 10+ per, so is JR worth a little more or a lot more?


Cavs likely will have to re sign him, but please don't be foolish and come in here and say jr will take a big discount to stay in Cleveland
Wes Matthews >> JR Smith

[Spurs5Rings2014]

Shumpert should be priority but smith is perfect for the Cavs as a 6th man and hopefully will be smart enough to resign. Cavs should offer him mid level exception.

Get out of here. Your team is STACKED. You can't pay all your players peanuts and keep everyone.

[Rose'sACL]

Get out of here. Your team is STACKED. You can't pay all your players peanuts and keep everyone.
Spurs do it so I am sure cavs can try to do the same.

[KNOW1EDGE]

In what world is JR Smith worth more than Wes Matthews? I know Matthews was injured and fell off the scene while JR is still playing, but let's not kid ourselves and say that Cleveland would rather have Smith than a healthy Matthews

This.

To even suggest that a team would consider paying JR Smith more money than Wes Matthews is absurd.

JR is a streaky hot shooter.

Matthews is a consistent shooter who plays defense and hustles hard. He was the backbone of the Blazers squad that fell apart in the playoffs due to his absence.
luckily for the Blazers they should be able to resign him to a decent contract due to him coming off the injury

[Spurs5Rings2014]

Spurs do it so I am sure cavs can try to do the same.

The difference between the two is pretty astronomical. Our franchise guys are the ones who take the pay cuts. The ones who have been the face of our team and been there since the beginning like Duncan, Ginobili, etc. The other guys, the ones that are more like Smith who we acquired through trades and such, aren't former 6MOY's who were big market second scoring options. They are players that couldn't fit on other rosters. Players other teams had no idea how to properly use. They came to the Spurs at a low point with no juice and we got the most out of them. I don't see J.R. as that type of player. His talents seem a bit more conventional and he doesn't really have much incentive to take less when he's only been there half a season. Players like him want to get paid more than anything and rightfully so.

[RedBlackAttack]

In what world is JR Smith worth more than Wes Matthews? I know Matthews was injured and fell off the scene while JR is still playing, but let's not kid ourselves and say that Cleveland would rather have Smith than a healthy Matthews
Thing is, the Cavs can't sign Wes Matthews so really it's a moot point. We are completely hamstrung when it comes to negotiating with all of the guys we need to re-sign, because we can't replace them with like talent on the open market. The only way we keep this team together is by re-signing the guys we currently have under contract. The players and their agents know that, so they have a distinct advantage in any ongoing negotiations.

I'm hoping that guys like Tristan, Shump and TT don't completely take advantage of that situation and force their next contracts to be too out of whack, but their agents would also be foolish not to use it to their advantage.

What Wes Matthews and what JR Smith could get on the open market is almost totally irrelevant, because they're more important in this particular situation than they would be in any other, simply due to how the CBA is structured.

We can't afford to lose any of those guys, because they cannot be replaced unless we got extremely lucky with some MLE pickup... and you can't rely on that to replace what Smith, Shump or TT gives us nightly.

[el gringos]

Thing is, the Cavs can't sign Wes Matthews so really it's a moot point. We are completely hamstrung when it comes to negotiating with all of the guys we need to re-sign, because we can't replace them with like talent on the open market. The only way we keep this team together is by re-signing the guys we currently have under contract. The players and their agents know that, so they have a distinct advantage in any ongoing negotiations.

I'm hoping that guys like Tristan, Shump and TT don't completely take advantage of that situation and force their next contracts to be too out of whack, but their agents would also be foolish not to use it to their advantage.

What Wes Matthews and what JR Smith could get on the open market is almost totally irrelevant, because they're more important in this particular situation than they would be in any other, simply due to how the CBA is structured.

We can't afford to lose any of those guys, because they cannot be replaced unless we got extremely lucky with some MLE pickup... and you can't rely on that to replace what Smith, Shump or TT gives us nightly.
This is the reality. Cavs have to bring all those guys back because they csnt replace them. And they will all be paid big. Cavs will offer love the max because if they lose him they've given up too much. Between their last 2 1sts and the future ones they've given up they aren't going to have the option of replacing these guys w young players or above league min and a few exemptions type guys.


Unless by any chance they get sign and trades done on Love it's going to be hard to add players

[Ai2death]

Smith's dumbass probably thinks he's a max player now :facepalm

[RedBlackAttack]

This is the reality. Cavs have to bring all those guys back because they csnt replace them. And they will all be paid big. Cavs will offer love the max because if they lose him they've given up too much. Between their last 2 1sts and the future ones they've given up they aren't going to have the option of replacing these guys w young players or above league min and a few exemptions type guys.


Unless by any chance they get sign and trades done on Love it's going to be hard to add players
Love is getting the max.

TT will probably be in the $15 million/year range.

Smith and Shump ... anyone's guess.

The Cavs only real avenue to get better -- aside from simply getting healthier with Love, Varejao and Irving coming back at 100% -- is the Haywood $12 million expirer and combining it with some other assets like draft picks.

The good part is that this team is already extremely young for a title contender. All of the main pieces aside from LeBron, who passed the mark in December, and Varejao (32) are on the right side of 30.

Kyrie - 23
Love - 26
Tristan - 24
Mozgov - 28
Shump - 24
JR - 29
Delly - 24

That means it isn't necessarily a bad thing that they don't have much room to maneuver in free agency, because these guys are all either likely not in their prime yet or are still in the middle of it. But, that assumes that the Cavs bring everyone back... which they have to do. And all of those guys' agents know it.

Not ideal from a bargaining position.

[AboutBuckets]

RBA, between your 'Medium 3' of TT, Shump, and JR, if you were the Cavs GM and were only able to sign 2 of them who would you let go and why??

[RedBlackAttack]

RBA, between your 'Medium 3' of TT, Shump, and JR, if you were the Cavs GM and were only able to sign 2 of them who would you let go and why??
Easy... Tristan and Shumpert.

JR is a really nice spacer who can get hot and completely take over a game. He also can be an underrated defender and can make plays for others occasionally. But, he is almost 30, whereas TT and Shump are both 24. That six year age difference is huge. We're likely not even seeing the best of Tristan and Shump yet. TT is just now learning how to be a rim protector and I expect him to improve in that area. Shump is becoming more and more consistent with his jumpshot.

Meanwhile, JR is probably on the backend of his prime and we're seeing his best right now.

Tristan and Shump are absolutely key for our defense. They've been elite on that end in these playoffs and we can't afford to lose that aspect of our team. It is becoming an identity.

With all of that being said, JR would not be easy to replace. It would be a serious setback to lose him.

[Meticode]

Definitely TT and Iman. Shump is who the Cavs were wanting originally and the Knicks basically said you can have Shump, but you got to take J.R. The Cavs reluctantly did it and it's worked out for them. They wanted a 3&D player to start at SG and that's exactly what he's done plus more in the playoffs.

[Meticode]

RBA, next season or offseason can we still flip Haywood's contract for something to our favor?

[morbius]

JR is under contract for another year, he's not going anywhere. I think he does have an opt-out clause this summer, but I doubt he would get more money elsewhere, considering his history.

[RedBlackAttack]

RBA, next season or offseason can we still flip Haywood's contract for something to our favor?
Yes. That's going to be our biggest asset to attain something for next year, assuming everyone we currently have under contract re-signs.

That was a very shrewd move by Griff to get that Haywood contract.

[AboutBuckets]

JR is under contract for another year, he's not going anywhere. I think he does have an opt-out clause this summer, but I doubt he would get more money elsewhere, considering his history.

Yeah that's the kind of gamble you probably don't wanna take at this point in your career if you're JR

[RedBlackAttack]

JR is under contract for another year, he's not going anywhere. I think he does have an opt-out clause this summer, but I doubt he would get more money elsewhere, considering his history.
He has a $6+ million player option for next season. Everyone is assuming he is going to opt out because the Cavs will almost surely pay him more than that. It would be a bit of a gamble on his part to opt out, but the Cavs would definitely give him more than $6 million. The question is, how much more?

[Lebron23]

I think he stay with the Cavaliers. He loves playing with LeBron, and the simple lifestyle in Cleveland keep him away from any troubles.

[Sarcastic]

Wes Matthews tore his goddamn Achilles. No one has any idea how he will be when he is able to return. That could be a career ending injury. Current JR >>> Matthews with unknown Achilles situation.

[RedBlackAttack]

Wes Matthews tore his goddamn Achilles. No one has any idea how he will be when he is able to return. That could be a career ending injury. Current JR >>> Matthews with unknown Achilles situation.
Fair point.

[el gringos]

He has a $6+ million player option for next season. Everyone is assuming he is going to opt out because the Cavs will almost surely pay him more than that. It would be a bit of a gamble on his part to opt out, but the Cavs would definitely give him more than $6 million. The question is, how much more?
Let's not forget the difference in a 1 year deal and a 3-4 year deal. How much more than 6? 15-20 for 2 or 3 more years.

[AboutBuckets]

Let's not forget the difference in a 1 year deal and a 3-4 year deal. How much more than 6? 15-20 for 2 or 3 more years.

15 over 2 yrs (7.5 per) seems like it would be pretty fair IMO

[el gringos]

Do you have anything to add to the Haywood contract?


Any chance the cavs and warriors play in the finals and then become trade partners?

[RedBlackAttack]

Let's not forget the difference in a 1 year deal and a 3-4 year deal. How much more than 6? 15-20 for 2 or 3 more years.
Yep. I'd guess his demands would be more about the length of the contract than the exact dollar amount.


15 over 2 yrs (7.5 per) seems like it would be pretty fair IMO

I concur, but I'm betting he's going to want 3-4 years. He's still only 29, although it feels like he is older.


Do you have anything to add to the Haywood contract?


Any chance the cavs and warriors play in the finals and then become trade partners?

To the first part of your question, we have a young piece that the organization likes in Joe Harris. I'm guessing that they're going to be apprehensive to deal him, just based on his likely value and the way that I know the organization feels about his upside. I think they see a potential Kyle Korver-style player in his game, but he'd be a throw-in on any trade at this point.

Then, the Cavs have their own first in the 2015 draft and a bunch of second rounders. So, they could trade the picks or the players that they draft... and, of course, bunches of picks down the road.

Then, we have the draft rights to several players oversees. Those can always be dealt around.


To the second part, it definitely isn't completely out of the realm of possibility. I just don't know who we'd be looking for and/or who GS would be willing to part with. They definitely have some players that could fill some holes for us.