As we warned readers was coming earlier in the day, the Cleveland Cavaliers have waived J.R. Smith.
This was expected as they could not find a trading partner looking to save money for a pick, so rather than pay him his full $15.7 million the Cavaliers will pay Smith $4.4 million and make him an unrestricted free agent. Shams Charania of The Athletic broke the news.
Sources: The Cleveland Cavaliers have waived JR Smith, making him a free agent. Cavs had been attempting to move Smith all the way up until the 5 p.m. ET waiver deadline today.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 15, 2019
There has been an assumption among many fans that if he became a free agent Smith would reunite with LeBron James on the Lakers, adding another big personality and flawed player to an interesting bench.
But not so fast my friend, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Once guard JR Smith clears waivers, the Los Angeles Lakers are an unlikely destination, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 15, 2019
Smith will turn 34 before next season starts and his skills are in decline, he shot just 30.8 percent from three last season. I can see a playoff/contending team making a run at him for the minimum, but there is not a lot of demand for his services because he’s not expected to be able to contribute a lot.
