JR Smith admitted on Wednesday that he would like the Cleveland Cavaliers to trade him, and the moment of candor may result in his wallet taking a hit.
Smith, who is averaging just 2.5 points per game this season and has been removed from the Cavs’ rotation, was asked by a reporter if he is hoping to be moved to another team. He said he is and that the Cavaliers “don’t want me here.”
Reporter: "Are you hoping for a trade [from the Cavs]?"
J.R. Smith: "Yeah." pic.twitter.com/SJNB0JRB8L
— Jordan Heck (@JordanHeckFF) November 1, 2018
As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski notes, those remarks could result in a fine for Smith. The NBA’s collective bargaining agreement states that a player cannot publicly request a trade, and Eric Bledsoe was fined $10,000 for a similar situation last year.
JR Smith was asked: "Are you hoping for a trade?" He responded, "Yeah." The NBA will examine if that constitutes a public trade request, which exposes him to a fine under the CBA. Eric Bledsoe was popped $10K for the "I don't wanna be here," tweet in Phoenix.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 1, 2018
While Smith could probably argue that he was just fulfilling his media responsibility by answering questions that were asked, the tweet that resulted in a fine for Bledsoe was far less direct.
The Cavs are clearly in total rebuild mode, so you can understand why the 33-year-old Smith has no interest in sticking around.
