Cavaliers' JR Smith Reportedly a 'Lock' to Be Traded by End of NBA Draft
By Michael Luciano
While the lack of playing time might have caused you to believe otherwise, JR Smith is still technically on the Cleveland Cavaliers. After the firing of Ty Lue and the consistent ineptitude of Cleveland last year, Smith announced that he would no longer play for the Cavs and would work out on his own for the rest of the season (unless the team found a trade partner).
With Smith on the roster but clearly not a part of John Beilein's long-term plan, Smith is an almost certainty to be traded before the end of the 2019 NBA Draft.
One player almost all NBA folks believe is a lock to be traded before or at the draft: JR Smith.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 19, 2019
Cavs can deal Smith to take on bad money and pick up another draft pick, while the acquiring team waives him for just under $4M. One of the last grandfathered tradable partials left.
In 11 games last year, Smith averaged 6.7 points per game in his age-33 season. While he isn't the dynamic athlete he once was, and his low basketball IQ continues to lead to Shaqtin' A Fool moments regularly, he can still stroke it from deep. In today's NBA, there's always going to be a market for wily veterans who can do that.
Man, we're likely three days away from JR Smith leaving the Cavs forever... pic.twitter.com/eGAT9zmsWk
— Cavs:TheBlog (@CavsTheTweets) June 18, 2019
While JR is hoping that a shooting-needy team -- the Lakers, perhaps -- will take a chance, the rebuild is on in Cleveland.