J.R. Smith Opts Out of Cavaliers Contract: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction
Statistically, J.R. Smith's short time with the Cleveland Cavaliers didn't produce the best results of his career, but many will agree the 29-year-old was one of the integral pieces during Cleveland's postseason run.
Despite finding success with his new team, Smith has decided to opt out of his contract and test free agency, Chris Haynes of the Plain Dealer reported on June 25.
Smith's value will likely never be higher, so it's no surprise he decided to opt out of his current deal.
According to Spotrac, Smith was due to make nearly $6.4 million for the 2015-16 season. With the way salaries and the salary cap itself continue to increase, the veteran 2-guard can almost certainly demand more than that on the free-agent market this summer.
Smith's 2014-15 campaign is proof that numbers can't be the sole way to judge a player's performance. Here's a breakdown of his per-36 numbers in the regular season with the Cavs and the New York Knicks, per Basketball-Reference:
If you were simply to look at the stats, you'd likely surmise the difference between first-half J.R. Smith and second-half J.R. Smith wasn't really all that substantial.
However, Smith went from a perceived overconfident ball hog in New York to a key role player on one of the Eastern Conference's best teams.
Smith's famous Instagram post from mid-May highlighted the dichotomy:
Worth mentioning is that Smith's usage rate dropped from 23.3 percent with the Knicks to 12.3 with the Cavaliers. Meanwhile, his three-point attempt rate rose from 35.9 percent in New York to a whopping 66.7 percent in Cleveland.
When the Cavaliers acquired Smith, in addition to Iman Shumpert, the front office was met with a fair amount of skepticism. In addition, Bleacher Report's Howard Beck intimated that Smith was essentially a throw-in to the deal, with Shumpert the top prize:
Basically, Smith became the player Cavs head coach David Blatt hoped Dion Waiters would be. With Kyrie Irving and LeBron James on the team, Blatt didn't need Smith to be a ball-dominant guard. Instead, he simply needed to spot up and hit a high percentage of his three-point opportunities.
The new role has allowed Smith to flourish in Cleveland.
One of his teammates, James Jones, went so far as to label him one of the "leaders" in Cleveland, per Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick:
"He's a vet now. I think, when he was with New York, he was wondering what being a vet meant. Being a vet means you come in every day, and you set the example for your younger teammates and for your older teammates. You're a leader of a team. That's what he is. He's a leader. I think that's something he was working forward to.
"
Of course, there were a few signs of the old J.R., most notably his backhand swing aimed at Jae Crowder in the Cavs' first-round series with the Boston Celtics.
Still, the positives from Smith's time in Cleveland far outweigh the negatives.
Given the success of his time there, it's possible he re-ups with the Cavaliers on a longer, more lucrative deal. Or maybe he'll be tempted by a better offer on another team where he gets more of a starring role.
There's also the chance that Smith's abysmal performance in the NBA Finals turned the Cavs off completely from wanting him back next year.
From the Cavaliers' perspective, this adds another question mark entering next season after Kevin Love also decided to opt out of his contract on June 24.
Either way, Smith has gone some way toward shedding his old reputation.
