The Cleveland Cavaliers and swingman J.R. Smith are in a contract stalemate, and LeBron James wishes it would end already.
On Friday, LeBron made his strongest public comments yet about the negotiations between Smith and the Cavs, basically calling the team out.
LeBron wants Cavs to sign JR Smith. Upset because Tristan Thompson had lengthy holdout in 2015. "I just hate to deal with this s— again."
— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) September 30, 2016
LeBron: "Negotiations are always two-sides but J.R. did his part. J.R. did his part. He showed up every day. Worked his a– off every day."
— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) September 30, 2016
Smith has seen some of the monster contracts that have been inked by mediocre guards this offseason, and he has not been willing to take a discount to remain in Cleveland. However, a recent report indicated the Cavs believe there are no other teams offering what Smith is seeking and they are not about to get into a bidding war with themselves.
LeBron obviously likes playing with Smith, which makes sense considering Smith was a big contributor to the Cavs’ championship team last season. He partied like it, too, as these photos prove.
James doesn’t want the contract standoff to drag out like Tristan Thompson’s did last offseason. The quicker it is resolved, the sooner the Cavs can start working on defending their NBA title.
