J.R. Smith was released from Cleveland, Could Smith find a new destination?
Cleveland was scheduled to pay Smith $ 15.6 million in the 2019-2020 season. It was the last season of the four-year contract in 2016. However, if he is released by July 17th, Cleveland will only pay Smith $ 4.37 million. Cleveland had already made a trade with Smith but the negotiations did not go well. Eventually, Cleveland decided to release Smith directly.
Smith is unlikely to sign with the Lakers. The Lakers are a team with LeBron James. LeBron and Smith had a lunch in Cleveland from 2015 to 2018.
Smith is a veteran shooter who is still as attractive as his explosive power. He made an average of 12.5 points in 16 seasons after his debut in 2004, and he had a 3-point shot at 2.03 points per game with a 37.3% probability. There is a possibility that a team needing a boost from a shooter might be interested in recruiting Smith.
However, after a contract with Cleveland, the performance of the last three seasons was terrible. In the 2017-2018 season, it averaged 8.3 points, a 40.3 per cent contest. Last season, Cleveland started rebuilding and finished 11 games. Even in this game, Smith had an average of 6.7 points and 34.2 percent of the total.