JR Smith
The Cleveland Cavaliers, ever since Kevin Love‘s injury and increasing desire to tank, have seen JR Smith check out.
Smith has requested a trade and hasn’t been playing with the team for weeks now. His last game came on November 19, when he dropped two points in under six minutes of play. Even in the time he has played, Smith hasn’t looked interested in playing on the East’s worst team.
Smith, who is owed over eight figures this season, is due under five million next season. Trying to trade Smith doesn’t seem to be working, so why not buy him out and rid the team of his undesirable behavior.
Smith has averaged 6.7 points per game this season, shooting under 35% from the field. Even worse from downtown, Smith hasn’t cemented himself as an elite shooting threat for over a year and continues to look like a ghost of his former self.
Is it the team though? Is it his attitude towards playing for a team not truly in contention?
Golden State could fix that. They could get him easy-to-knockdown looks. While Smith might not be an ideal addition, he would significantly help a bench that ranks in the bottom five in three-pointers per game.