The Cleveland Cavaliers signed veteran guard Toney Douglas on Monday, and human ultralight beam J.R. Smith, who still remains unsigned, didn’t appear to be too pleased about it.
The Cavs announced the signing of Douglas, who was briefly teammates with LeBron James on the Miami Heat in 2013-14, on Monday morning.
ROSTER UPDATE: #Cavs sign point guard Toney Douglas. [DETAILS]: https://t.co/44AU9h7a3c pic.twitter.com/Dq9r13KKrr
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) October 3, 2016
Shortly afterwards, Smith posted the following cryptic tweet to his account:
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— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) October 3, 2016
The signing of Douglas won’t threaten Smith’s roster spot, considering that the team waived big man Eric Moreland in a corresponding move. Mo Williams changing his mind and deciding to retire also created a need for Cleveland to go out and sign an extra guard, Smith-independent.
But it’s the latest development in an increasingly messy contract holdout that has even caused James to publicly voice his frustration. The two sides are playing a game of hardball in negotiations, and with training camp in the books and the Cavs about to begin the preseason this week, a resolution still has not been reached.
The likeliest scenario is still for Smith to eventually return to the team. After all, fellow Klutch Sports client Tristan Thompson held out until October 21 in his own lengthy contract dispute last offseason. But happenings like this will only increase tensions and animosity until a deal does wind up getting done.
