As the NBA Training Camp is about to begin, J.R. Smith finds himself still available. J.R. Smith is reportedly skipping NBA training camp until he gets a deal, and still hoping to be signed by the Cleveland Cavaliers which is now unclear.
J.R. Smith has a very colorful off-season vacation this year, as he has been on the hot seat of several NBA rumors during his free agency. Until now, it is unclear from both parties if J.R. Smith will remain as a member of the defending NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers.
According to Brian Windshorst of ESPN, J.R. Smith intended not to attend the Cavaliers mini-camp held in Santa Barbara until any terms have been agreed. Smith's agent Rich Paul and the Cavaliers are in talks recently since J.R. Smith opted out of his contract.
J.R. Smith Re-Signing With the Cavaliers is No Guaranteehttps://t.co/G7SJI1Z4mt
— Sneaker Pics (@SneakerPics23) September 20, 2016
This scenario is not new to the Cavaliers organization as it also happened last season when Tristan Thompson also missed the Cavaliers training camp and all the pre-season games before everything else was settled. Compared to Smith's situation, it is unclear if the Cavaliers could still retain him, due to fact that the Cavaliers cannot meet Smith's asking price and there also reports that there is no latest progress between the Cavaliers organization and agent Rich Paul's negotiation talks.
J.R. Smith is a key factor during the Cavaliers' Championship run last season. With an average of 12.4 points while hitting above 40% outside the 3-point line, Smith is providing a lot of help in both ends of the court.
As per Yahoo! Sports, Smith's agent Rich Paul is likely to be using the same principle as he did last season for Tristan Thompson. His tack last season earned Tristan Thompson a lot of money in his bank as he also showed improvements during last season.
But as for J.R. Smith, this situation seemed to be more of a worse for him. The Cleveland Cavaliers are now packed with players that may seem to be kept for future purposes. Everything else lies on J.R. Smith's decision, make the money he wants and play for another team, or make some adjustments in his terms and play with his so-called Cavs family.
