Make no mistake about it — the Cleveland Cavaliers are willing to do anything it takes to keep LeBron James happy. While LeBron is unlikely to ever leave Cleveland again, he does have an opt-out clause in his contract. That basically makes him the team’s general manager without the title.
So naturally, the Cavs consulted LeBron before completing a three-team deal on Monday that sent Dion Waiters to the Oklahoma City Thunder and JR Smith and Iman Shumpert to Cleveland. More specifically, the Cavs wanted to make sure LeBron is cool with having Smith as a teammate.
Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein of ESPN.com report that Cavs team officials “spoke with (James) about his willingness to play alongside Smith” before pulling the trigger on the trade.
Obviously, LeBron gave the team the go-ahead.
Smith has come close to creating problems in the past with his desire to become a starter instead of a sixth man, but he should know his role in Cleveland. He just got a free pass from one of the worst teams in the NBA to playing alongside the game’s best player, so I’m sure he’ll have no problem coming off the bench.
Even if LeBron was concerned with having Smith as a teammate, did you see that look he gave Waiters earlier this season? A change was needed.
