National Basketball Association

5 teams J.R. Smith should sign with for 2016-17 season

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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With the start of the season fast approaching, here are five teams J.R. Smith should sign with.

J.R. Smith became a social media sensation after the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA title in June, with numerous shirtless pictures. He opted-out of his contract and became an unrestricted free agent this summer, and he remains available. LeBron James has public called out the organization for the ongoing contract impasse, but the Cavaliers have not yet re-signed Smith.

The two sides are reportedly $4-$5 million apart in contract talks, with Smith seeking $15 million per year and the Cavaliers offering something in the $10-$11 million range. But the Cavaliers have been bidding against themselves up to this point, so they are absolutely right to hold firm with what they clearly feel is a good offer.

ESPN’s Dave McMenamin expanded on the exact terms of Cleveland’s offer to Smith. A four-year deal worth more than $42 million guaranteed is apparently on the table, which compares favorably to the deal Jamal Crawford got from the Los Angeles Clippers this offseason. But Crawford’s deal included $30.5 million guaranteed, and no one would say he’s less valuable on the floor than Smith.

James, even though it’s obviously not acknowledged by the organization, is essentially Cleveland’s de facto general manager. If he wants someone with him on the Cavaliers, the organization has given away their power and it behooves general manager (in title) David Griffin to get it done and appease James.

Back in August, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reported Smith was only considering signing with the Cavaliers. It’s hard to think that has changed in the nearly two months since, with little rumored market for Smith’s services outside of Cleveland.

It seems like a matter of time before Smith and the Cavaliers come to an agreement, but the longer things linger some doubt will come to the surface. With that in mind, here are five teams Smith should sign with.

Oct 5, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Utah Jazz guard George Hill (3) and forward Gordon Hayward (20) talk mid court during the first half of the game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Utah Jazz defeated the Phoenix Suns 104-99. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

5. Utah Jazz

The Jazz added Joe Johnson in free agency this offseason, but they are expected to be without forward Gordon Hayward for six weeks due to a broken finger. Alec Burks does not have a timetable to return, as he makes slow progress from knee and ankle surgeries, and he has only played 58 games over the last two seasons. Suddenly, Utah is looking thin on healthy wing players.

Smith is a unique personality, and thus he’s not necessarily a good fit in every locker room. As a scorer and perimeter shooter, with little else to offer, he’s also essentially a role player that wants to be paid like he’s a bit more than that.

The Jazz seem to have enough salary cap space to make Smith a competitive offer, if they want to find outside help to fill the void left by Hayward and perhaps Burks going into the season. But if Smith wants a multi-year deal, and he has balked at Cleveland’s aforementioned reported offer, any interest from Utah would probably be fleeting at best.

Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

4. Sacramento Kings

If Smith isn’t careful, he could land with arguably the NBA’s most dysfunctional organization and nowhere near playoff contention. The Kings could make him the multi-year offer he seeks, and if they trade Rudy Gay or Ben McLemore there could be a starting job and/or a big role available to boot.

With the ever combustible coach killer DeMarcus Cousins as the centerpiece in Sacramento, Smith would seem to fit right in on a roster full of misfits and underachievers. New coach Dave Joerger brings an air of credibility to Sacramento, stemming from a solid run in the same position with the Memphis Grizzlies, but the top levels of the Kings’ organization remain the same with short-sighted incompetence that’s hard to overcome.

Smith would ideally fit best on a contending team, with a specific role he is capable of filling in the right situation, so his signing with the Kings would rightly invite skepticism regardless of the contract terms. But it would also be a marriage made in possible dysfunctional heaven, and the sideshow in Sacramento would turn up another notch with Smith’s presence.

Mandatory Credit: Maddie Meyer-Getty Images

3. Boston Celtics

There’s finally another suitor for Smith, with Frank Isola of the New York Daily News recently citing the Boston Celtics among “several teams” with interest. It’s immediately a difficult fit financially though, with Isola suggesting the Celtics have $9 million to sign Smith unless they make a trade to clear more salary cap space. With Smith’s reported financial desire in mind, Boston comes up short as currently constructed.

Avery Bradley is also firmly entrenched as Boston’s starting shooting guard, and they don’t necessarily have serious depth concerns with Terry Rozier, Gerald Green and R.J. Hunter in the mix behind him. And that leaves aside Smith’s odd-duck, possibly distraction-driving personality, which may turn off coach Brad Stevens and the Celtics’ organization as a whole when it’s all said and done.

The Celtics would theoretically take something away from the Cavaliers by signing Smith, not to mention the anger James may feel if Cleveland fails to bring him back. As they look to take the next step up the Eastern Conference ladder those things could factor into Boston’s interest, and the possibility of staying with a playoff contender should appeal to Smith.

Mandatory Credit: Maddie Meyer-Getty Images

2. Brooklyn Nets

Smith was born in New Jersey, and the Nets currently have the second most salary cap space in the league ($17.194 million). Rondae Hollis-Jefferson carries a lot of potential as their starting shooting guard, but his immediate backups are either highly ordinary (Joe Harris) or injured (Caris LeVert). Smith would be an upgrade for sure, though that is faint praise.

The Nets did sign Randy Foye as a combo guard this offseason, but his role seems fluid and undetermined. A starting role seems possible, based on new coach Kenny Atkinson’s lineups in recent preseason games, but it’s hard to see Foye lasting very long and being an effective player with big minutes.

If he can keep his head screwed on straight, with the lure of New York City nearby, Smith would provide some much-needed perimeter scoring punch for Brooklyn. The Nets have finally torn things down a bit in a rebuilding mode, and Smith doesn’t necessarily fit that at 31 years old. But if an offer comes, with the promise of a substantial role, returning close to home might be hard for Smith to turn way from.

Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

1. Cleveland Cavaliers

Just because it’s obvious doesn’t mean it’s not true. Frankly, Smith’s salary demand is excessive and if a four-year deal worth around $42 million is out there from the Cavaliers he should have already taken it. He’s not getting that term from any other NBA team that is responsibly well-run at the top, to say nothing of the total in guaranteed money.

Smith shares an agent (Rich Paul of Klutch Sports) with James and Cavaliers’ center Tristan Thompson. That relationship drove the Cavaliers to overpay Thompson in the summer of 2015, with James’ prompting that move too, but it doesn’t appear they are willing to do so again this year with Smith.

At some point Smith will either clearly be without other options, or the other options he has won’t be nearly as good as Cleveland. The Cavaliers will be a title contender for as long as James is around and remains a highly functional player, and that’s all Smith should be looking for as he enters the final stage of his own career. At some point logic and financial realism will prevail, and Smith should be the one to budge in short order.