National Basketball Association

Are the Atlanta Hawks in the Market for J.R Smith?

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

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J.R. Smith remains an unrestricted free agent on the market. Could the Atlanta Hawks make a play for the sharpshooter?

It has been reported by Steve Scott of USSportsRoom.com a few days ago that J.R. Smith and the Cleveland Cavaliers will part ways since Smith is seeking a more lucrative contract than what the Cavs can offer. The veteran shooting guard could help the Hawks in a few areas of need. While he can be wildly erratic and animated during games, he is a ridiculous shot maker.

For Hawks fans, him leaving the Cavs is good news all on it’s lonesome. He could be in a horrible, month long slump with his 3 point shot, missing every attempt, but soon as he matches up versus Atlanta, he’s like a cartoon, dropping whatever he throws up.

In the article, Scott reported that the Timberwolves have $25.5 million in cap space, and despite interest from several other teams, he is likely to go there. Also stating that the Cavs offer of a $10 million salary was less than the $15 million annually that he is seeking.

It would make the Hawks a more dynamic team to add him to the mix, there just isn’t enough money to make the deal. Atlanta has already exceeded the cap with their acquisitions earlier in free agency, then by signing the draft picks. The salary cap is around $94 million, which teams are allowed to exceed with existing contracts and resigning their own players.

The Hawks team salary is just over $99 million currently. The Hawks could sign another free agent, by using the mid level exception, which is set for up to $5.7 million. There is something called a luxury tax, that is $114 million, and any team that goes over that must pay additional penalties. Obviously Smith is out of the picture for the Hawks.

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It would be superb to rival the Cavs with one of their former players, but whose to say he’d be successful as a Hawk? There are always just a few players, he being one of them, that slay the Hawks at any opportunity. $15 million a year is rather steep for him after all. He can occasionally get to the rim for a dunk, for the most part though he is one dimensional offensively. That’s a lot to pay for just a streaky outside shooter.

We already have a bottle of Windex with Kyle Korver anyway, what sense does it make to purchase a generic brand? It looked to me like he was the perfect fit as one of Lebron’s merry men, there is no guarantee he would have the same effect here. He will be a thorn in the Hawks side much less wherever he decides to go.

Information from Wikipedia and SI.com was used in this report

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