J.R. Smith to Cavaliers: Latest Trade Details, Comments and Reaction

The New York Knicks are reportedly shipping J.R. Smith to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news on Monday night:

"

The Cleveland Cavaliers have reached an agreement in principle to acquire New York Knicksguards J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert in a multi-team trade that also sends guard Dion Waiters to the Oklahoma City Thunder, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Oklahoma City will give the Cavaliers a protected future first-round draft pick and send guard Lance Thomas to the Knicks, league sources said. As part of the trade, the Cavaliers will send rookie center Alex Kirk, forward Lou Amundson and a 2019 second-round pick to the Knicks, sources said.

For New York, the deal is a salary dump to clear cap space. The Knicks unload the $6.4 million owed to Smith next season.

"

The Cavs would later confirm the trade:

The trade will make Smith's pockets a little fatter according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst:

Smith has played 24 games for the 2014-15 Knicks, averaging 10.9 points, 3.4 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 25.8 minutes of action per night. 

Smith, 29, was an integral part of New York's surge to the No. 2 seed in 2012-13, as the score-first guard looked more engaged than ever en route to winning the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award. While Smith floundered in the postseason, the Knicks rewarded him with a new three-year, $17.95 million deal.

Jim O'Connor-USA TODAY Sports

From there, everything slowly devolved into a nightmare. Four days after signing the new deal, Smith underwent long-overdue knee surgery and was later suspended five games for a violation of the NBA's substance abuse policy.

When Smith returned to the floor, it quickly became apparent he wasn't nearly the same player—or, frankly, even willing to try to be. Smith saw his points, rebounds and shooting percentage drop while also returning to the antics that make him one of the league's most polarizing figures.

After the Knicks released Chris Smith, J.R.'s brother, whom the team inexplicably signed to a guaranteed contract, J.R. sent out an Instagram photo that indicated he felt "betrayed" by the situation. The NBA fined the Knicks guard $50,000 for repeated unsportsmanlike conduct (confirmed Twitter followers only), specifically citing two times where he either attempted to or successfully untied an opponent's shoe.

"I'm not happy about this because he was warned, he comes back, and he makes the same mistake, and it's not right," then-head coach Mike Woodson told reporters. "It's just got to stop. I keep saying this every time something pops up, but it's got to stop." 

None of the motivational ploys worked.

Two wins away from an Eastern Conference Finals berth two seasons ago, New York failed to make the playoffs and finished with a 37-45 record last season. Woodson was fired, Phil Jackson was brought in as team president and a full-scale flushing of the previous core commenced. Smith's onerous contract made him a difficult sell, but Jackson seemed dead set on changing the locker room culture. 

“We want to close that circle and really make it really pretty tight, so that we can start to get that familial attitude that brings bonds together, that makes players kind of play for each other,” Jackson said on WFAN's Boomer & Carton in March (via CBS New York). 

Although it seemed like a long shot that any team would want Smith's seemingly toxic combination of ineffectiveness and lackadaisical attitude, Cleveland is once again banking on his talent winning out.

When Smith is locked in, he is still one of the league's most talented scorers. Having a weapon like him coming off the bench, assuming a change of scenery helps, should be a boon. Again, in theory.

Trading for Smith is obviously a risk Cleveland thought it had to take, but the Knicks would tell you firsthand that buyer beware.

Follow Tyler Conway on Twitter: