JR Smith could be fined for publicly admitting he wants trade
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.
