Best 2015 NBA Free-Agency Landing Spots for Cleveland Cavs' J.R. Smith

Choosing to forgo his $6.4 million player option for the 2015-16 season, J.R. Smith is very much available as an unrestricted free agent.

Smith's free-agent case is a curious one, as he was brilliant after being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers following a woeful start to the season for the New York Knicks. Up until a suspension-worthy, no-look slap to Boston Celtics forward Jae Crowder in the first round of the NBA playoffs, Smith was on his best behavior and appeared to have greatly matured around his veteran Cleveland teammates.

Smith is the ultimate free-agent gamble. There's the focused version who scored 12.7 points per game on 39.0 percent shooting from deep in the regular season. Then, there's playoff J.R., the one whom the NBA suspended for two games and who shot just 31.2 percent from the field in the Finals, when the Cavs needed him most.

Smith obviously feels he's worth more than the $6 million-plus contract he opted out of, although it's hard to imagine anyone offering him more, especially over a multi-year deal. While that's a good value to the Cavaliers who know what he'll bring, any other team should come in with offers well below.

Teams that are interested in Smith don't necessarily have to possess a significant amount of cap space but instead should be worried about providing the right environment. Smith needs to be around a squad with serious playoff aspirations and a handful of veterans he can turn to for guidance. Staying out of big cities may be wise but shouldn't be a deal-breaker in the end.

It's 'buyer beware' with Smith, who's one of the best risk-or-reward signings available.

5. Washington Wizards

Mark Duncan/Associated Press

Shooting Guard Depth: Bradley Beal, Martell Webster

Ideal Role: Sixth Man

With the departure of Paul Pierce to the Los Angeles Clippers, per ESPN.com's Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne, the Washington Wizards suddenly need more of a scoring punch.

Pierce led Washington in three-point attempts during both the regular season (4.2) and postseason (6.3). John Wall and Bradley Beal are a great start, but the Wizards will need to fill Pierce's shoes.

They've already inked Gary Neal, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com), and traded for Jared Dudley (per Stein), but signing an athletic shot-creator like Smith would be the best replacement. We know the Wizards are a playoff team and should continue to be one for years to come with their solid young core. Veterans like Nene and Dudley with a star to follow in Wall make a nice combination for Smith to be around as well.

Given his 6'6" size, Smith can play the 2 as a backup and sixth man behind Beal or see stretches at small forward to help ease Otto Porter's transition to big minutes.

Of course, stealing Smith from the Cavaliers and watching one of their East rivals lose their fourth-leading scorer would be icing on the cake.

4. Milwaukee Bucks

Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images

Shooting Guard Depth: Giannis Antetokounmpo, O.J. Mayo, Jerryd Bayless, Rashad Vaughn

Ideal Role: Sixth Man

This is all about reuniting Smith and former Knicks teammate Jason Kidd.

When talking about veteran influences, perhaps no player has made more of an impact on Smith during his career than Kidd. Before retiring from the Knicks following the 2012-13 season, Kidd was Smith's backcourt mate and a vocal leader. Smith enjoyed the best season of his career next to the current Milwaukee Bucks coach, averaging 18.1 points and 5.3 rebounds while winning the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award.

"Wherever J-Kidd is, that's where I want to be," Smith told Al Iannazzone of Newsday in 2012. "I love his game. ... I love his demeanor toward the game, how serious he takes the game. I've heard he's one of the best teammates. He's a class act, from my understanding."

Kidd is suddenly building a winner in Milwaukee, leading the Bucks to 41 wins and a playoff berth after an NBA-worst 15 victories the season before. Landing center Greg Monroe in free agency, per Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, was huge, but the Bucks still need more of an outside attack. Despite ranking a sparkling seventh in three-point percentage last season (36.3), Milwaukee often strayed from the long ball, finishing 23rd in makes (6.6 per game).

With Giannis Antetokounmpo primarily playing both forward positions last season, shooting guard is an area of need. Like Cleveland, Milwaukee doesn't have a huge night scene, allowing Smith's focus to rest primarily on basketball.

3. Charlotte Hornets

Mark Duncan/Associated Press

Shooting Guard Depth: Nicolas Batum, Troy Daniels, P.J. Hairston, Jeremy Lamb

Ideal Role: Starter

OK, so the good folks in Charlotte may be a little gun-shy about Smith after the failed Lance Stephenson experiment—and understandably so.

That being said, Smith brings exactly what the Charlotte Hornets crave.

Charlotte was the NBA's worst three-point-shooting team last season at 31.8 percent. Led by Stephenson's 17.1 percent brickfest, the Hornets also possessed the league's worst-shooting backcourt, which converted 31.2 percent of its attempts, per HoopsStats.com.

After trading Stephenson to the Los Angeles Clippers and starting shooting guard Gerald Henderson to the Portland Trail Blazers, the Hornets are left with a gaping hole in the backcourt.

Although primarily a sixth man throughout his career, Smith thrived as a starter for the Cavaliers last season. He would thrive in Charlotte as well, with Kemba Walker handling the ball and Al Jefferson drawing double-teams in the paint.

Smith may not be the final piece of a championship run, but his outside shooting would help give the Hornets a great chance at a playoff berth once again.

2. Miami Heat

Joe Murphy/Getty Images

Shooting Guard Depth: Dwyane Wade, Zoran Dragic, Josh Richardson

Ideal Role: Sixth Man

When Dwyane Wade eventually misses games, as history shows he will (missed at least 13 games in each of the past four seasons), the Miami Heat need someone to pick up the future Hall of Famer's scoring.

Enter Smith, who would be a nice sixth man for Miami and a clear upgrade over everyone currently sitting behind Wade.

Miami ranked just 20th in the NBA in three-point makes (6.8) and 24th in three-point percentage (33.5) last season. The backcourt was especially poor, connecting on a 29th-best 31.3 percent of its attempts, per HoopsStats.com. Wade's game has always been about athleticism and getting to the basket rather than the deep ball. Adding Smith helps make up the difference.

From a locker room perspective, the Heat should be safe with Wade, Luol Deng, Udonis Haslem and Chris Bosh around. After missing out on the playoffs last season, Miami should be a lock in the Eastern Conference this year with a healthy Bosh and Goran Dragic locked into a new deal, according to USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt.

The Miami nightlife is naturally a concern, but a playoff push and vets to lead the way would provide an excellent landing spot for Smith.

1. Cleveland Cavaliers

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

Shooting Guard Depth: Iman Shumpert, Joe Harris

Ideal Role: Starter or Sixth Man

There's no place like home.

OK, so technically Smith hails from Freehold, New Jersey, but he seemed to have found a second residence in Cleveland.

We know that Smith, surrounded by talent and leadership with the Cavs, will thrive. Everywhere else is merely an optimistic guess.

Smith found his ideal role with the Cavaliers as a floor-spacer and kick-out option for LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and others. He made a cool 41.1 percent of his catch-and-shoot three-pointers in Cleveland, per NBA.com, often finding open looks thanks to the quality of talent around him.

With a skyrocketing payroll and luxury taxes accompanying all incoming salaries, how badly do the Cavs want Smith back? General manager David Griffin said the team would gladly welcome Smith "if it's the right situation for us," Bud Shaw of the Northeast Ohio Media Group noted. This roughly translates to "only if younger and cheaper options aren't available," one would guess.

Cleveland could still bring him back, of course, but with contracts to be dished out to restricted free agents Matthew Dellavedova and Tristan Thompson and later to James, the Cavs won't want to go crazy with Smith's new deal.

Opting out of a good payday in a great situation was a questionable move by Smith, who seemed to genuinely enjoy himself in Cleveland.

Regardless of whether the Cavs want him or not, Northeast Ohio remains Smith's best possible landing spot.

Greg Swartz has covered the Cleveland Cavaliers and NBA for Bleacher Report since 2010. Follow him on Twitter: @CavsGregBR.

All stats come via Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted. Depth charts provided by Rotoworld.