The Cleveland Cavaliers have officially waived veteran guard J.R. Smith, a move that will shove him into the free agency market, unrestricted. What lies ahead for Smith might not be too rosy as the speculations he would reunite with LeBron James by joining the Los Angeles Lakers failed to gain traction. Most likely, the one-time NBA champ will be forced to call it quits.
Smith leaving the Cavs seemed a done deal as early as last year. When King James left for L.A., the Cavs front office took the path of rebuilding and keeping the veterans was not part of the plan. According to CBS Sports, Cleveland has been looking for a way to ship out Smith.
"The Cavaliers have been shopping Smith on the trade market for a long time, dating back to the early days of the 2018-19 season," the CBS report said.
Eventually, Smith was benched, and the Cavs explored trade possibilities that led to nothing. So the swingman was waived and is now looking elsewhere to ply his trade, which based on his stats for the last season was at a decent level but far from impressive.
Will there be a spot for Smith in L.A.? According to Yahoo Sports, the answer might be no if the information on the matter shared by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN is to be believed. The journalist claimed Smith playing again with James is not happening as the former is not headed to Los Angeles.
"Once guard JR Smith clears waivers, the Los Angeles Lakers are an unlikely destination," Wojnarowski was reported as saying.
At this point, most if not all NBA teams have already found what was lacking, so Smith landing a desirable sport seems next to impossible. But Yahoo said Smith's credentials would merit attention from teams that possibly could provide a minimum deal, which for a veteran with 15 years of playing history is a new reality.
Or Smith can opt to open the door for retirement, and it makes sense at this stage, according to Fansided. "His overall effectiveness on both ends has been trending downward," the report said, adding that in his mind Smith remains convinced he can still play.
And yes there might be a team to take him in but the playing time might not be the same, as foretold by Smith's final season with the Cavaliers.
So instead of warming the bench, the best route for Smith now is retirement. Per the same report by Fansided, "He has plenty to be proud of in appearing in 971 career games and playing a big role on a championship team."
