The Cleveland Cavaliers and J.R. Smith are playing hardball.
According to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com, the Cavs do want Smith back, but aren’t interested in meeting an asking price that no other team would be willing to meet either. They are, essentially, avoiding a bidding war with themselves.
Smith is said to be seeking about $15 million annually. The Cavaliers can go over the cap by as much as necessary to retain him, but no other team is coming in with that sort of money. The two sides may be haggling over contract length more than anything else, with Cleveland likely preferring a shorter pact than Smith and his camp might like.
The Cavs’ last offer was reportedly a fair bit lower than what Smith is asking. Will he stay in Cleveland? Almost certainly. But negotiations may take longer than both sides would probably have liked.
