J.R. Smith #5 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dribbles against Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 19, 2016 in Oakland, California. (Photo : Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
The Cleveland Cavaliers managed to secure the services of LeBron James for the next three years, but they still have difficult decisions to make. JR Smith is still unsigned and the mercurial guard is looking for a lucrative deal.
Smith played a big role in Cleveland's championship run last season. But with just almost two months left before the new season begins, Smith is still a free agent and it seems he wants a deal similar to Jeremy Lin's contract.
According to Basketball Insiders, the Cavaliers offered a multi-year contract worth $10 million per season to Smith. However, the 30-year-old guard, who averaged 12.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per game last season, wants more.
Previous reports indicated that the veteran shooting guard, known for his deadly sniping from beyond the arc, wants a deal that will give him $15 million per year. Or at least similar to Lin's three-year, $13 million contract from the Brooklyn Nets, Yardbarker revealed.
Lin's numbers last season is almost similar to Smith's stats. The former Harvard University standout tallied 11.7 points on top of 3.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game with the Charlotte Hornets last season. Lin was big coming off the bench for Charlotte but wanted to start next season, which was the reason why he moved to Brooklyn.
Smith, on the other hand, started as shooting guard in all 99 games that he played last season. In their four victories against the Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals, Smith posted 14.0 points and 3.5 rebounds to go along with 12 three-pointers for Cleveland.
It is also worth noting that Smith's former teammates, who played less minutes than him last season secured big contracts this summer. Timofey Mozgov signed a four-year contract worth $64 million with the Los Angeles Lakers, while Matthew Dellavedova inked a four-year agreement for $38 million.
But from the looks of it, Smith is not planning to move out. Basketball Insiders added that Smith and the Cavaliers will eventually find a common ground before training camp starts.
"While the Cleveland Cavaliers and J.R. Smith have not yet reached a free agent deal, there is a continued sense from league and Cavalier insiders that a new agreement is going to happen," Basketball Insiders noted.
Watch Jr Smith's 2016 NBA Playoffs highlights in the video below.
