J.R. Smith may have LeBron James in his corner, but Smith and the Cavaliers remain at a contract impasse. Smith feels he deserves more money — it’s rumored he wants $15 million a year — and more security, plus he has a hard-driving agent in Rich Paul. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers are way over the tax line and know whatever they pay Smith they can multiply by four in dollars it will cost them.
Then on Monday, the Cavaliers signed Toney Douglas as a possible reserve guard. Smith, how do you feel about that?
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— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) October 3, 2016
That tweet came right after the news of the Douglas signing broke.
If I were Smith, I would be frustrated as well.
Although to be fair, Smith is a two guard and Douglas was brought in as a potential backup point (who could play a little two in a pinch). With Mo Williams retirement, things are thin behind Kyrie Irving and the Cavaliers are looking for help. Douglas may provide that.
As for Smith, a veteran missing some training camp is no big deal, but at some point in the next couple of weeks the two sides need to reach a compromise. The defending champs don’t need this distraction — what Pat Riley used to call “the disease of more " — heading into the season.
