The Cleveland Cavaliers have yet to sign JR Smith and it seems like the certainty of keeping him has also waned.
The initial impression was that it was all a matter of time. The positions have been defined with the Cavaliers reportedly offering $10 million and JR Smith's camp asking for a $15 million deal. A similar situation played out for last summer with Tristan Thompson, interestingly another Rich Paul client. It ended with the two sides meeting halfway.
This was also the expected outcome for JR Smith. The Cavs just won a championship and took their city out of ignominy for that 52 year stretch without any pro title and the expectation was that the euphoria would carry on to the checkbook.
Under any other circumstance, or probably for teams below the tax, $15 million for JR Smith is not really hard to swallow. Smith has proven that he is worthy of a starting position. In an article from SB Nation team blog Fear The Sword, they compared the salaries of other players signed this offseason. Players like Allen Crabbe and Harrison Barnes took paychecks north of 15 million. Granted, they are younger players but if Smith signs even a three-year contract, he's unlikely to deteriorate by much.
"That's why they argue that the Cavs need to sign Smith. Replacing a player as skilled as Smith would be tough even if the Cavaliers had plenty of cap space. But replacing him with a veteran minimum contract would simply be impossible," the article stated.
The article also stated that the Miami Heat could be a team interested in Smith (the article also stated that the Heat has 21 million in cap space-a figure that was different from others which had Miami over the cap). They obviously have a void at the shooting guard spot.
The Philadelphia 76ers were also mentioned as possible suitors by The Sixer Sense. The team needs a lot of veteran talent and shooting. Smith could also bring his championship experience to lead the youngsters.