Report: JR Smith and the Cavs aren't any closer on a contract 11 days before the season, and other teams will soon get involved
Andy Lyons/Getty
With the start of the NBA season now less than two weeks away, J.R. Smith and the Cleveland Cavaliers have still yet to come to an agreement on a new contract.
Smith has made it no secret that he wants to return to the Cavs, but according to a report on Friday from ESPN's Marc Stein, the two sides aren't making any progress.
As the impasse continues, Stein says, Smith will soon have no choice but to start talking with other teams around the NBA about a potential last-minute deal.
"The Cavs, according to league sources, were offering an annual salary in the range of $10 million to $11 million for some time and any subsequent movement northward hasn't been sufficient to close the gap on what Smith is seeking."
While $10 or $11 million annually certainly sounds like a nice sum for Smith, remember that this summer featured a number of other free agents inking massive contracts. Evan Turner, for comparison's sake, will make $17.5 million annually as part of his new, four-year, $70 million contract in Portland.
Smith presumably wants something comparable, though the Cavs are already well over the cap as it is.
Stein reported that six teams have the potential cap space to sign Smith.
"Sources say it's only a matter of time before Smith starts engaging with other teams. There are currently six, for the record, with anywhere from $13 million to $27 million in available cap space: Minnesota, Phoenix, Utah, Denver, Brooklyn and Philadelphia."
According to Stein, the Celtics are interested in Smith, though they are not actively pursuing him at the moment.
Members of the Cavs, including LeBron James, have taken to social media this summer to urge their front office to get a deal done with Smith. And although he's an erratic and occasionally frustrating player, Smith is still a key part of Cleveland's roster. The defending champs be worse without him.
- Colon cancer rates are rising in young people. If you have two symptoms you should get a colonoscopy, a GI oncologist says.
- I spent $2,000 for 7 nights in a 179-square-foot room on one of the world's largest cruise ships. Take a look inside my cabin.
- An Ambani disruption in OTT: At just ₹1 per day, you can now enjoy ad-free content on JioCinema
- In second consecutive week of decline, forex kitty drops $2.28 bn to $640.33 bn
- SBI Life Q4 profit rises 4% to ₹811 crore
- IMD predicts severe heatwave conditions over East, South Peninsular India for next five days
- COVID lockdown-related school disruptions will continue to worsen students’ exam results into the 2030s: study
- India legend Yuvraj Singh named ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 ambassador
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market