J.R. Smith Receives Aggressive Offer From The Cleveland Cavaliers

According the Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin, the team has made an aggressive contract offer to J.R. Smith.

The Cleveland Cavaliers may finally have what it takes to bring the team’s favorite player back to The Q. After two days of dialogue, the Cavs believe they’ve made an “aggressive offer” for the free agent shooting guard, General Manager David Griffin announced at media day.

J. R. Smith has been seeking a long-term deal worth $15 million annually. Perhaps, after Mo Williams‘ decision to retire, the Cavs have just enough breathing room to offer a more competitive deal.

Last year, the Cleveland Cavaliers were an offensive dynamo. Though that status can easily be attributed to the Big Three of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, there is much more to it. The reason those players have the space to attack fearlessly in the paint is because of the three-point shooting of Smith. Though Channing Frye is also a consistent three-point threat and a dangerous one with his lanky 6-foot-11 frame and quick release, Smith is a shooter with all the confidence in the world. It’s not just catch-and-shoot three-pointers for Smith, it’s stepback three-pointers, off-the-dribble three-pointers.

Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson said that the market value has been determined for Smith. Shooters like Courtney Lee of the New York Knicks and Allen Crabbe of the Portland Trail Blazers received long-term deals valued between $12-$18 million per year this summer. Thompson also said that the Cavs don’t win a championship without Smith. James shared a similar sentiment when discussing his hopes that Smith and the Cavaliers front office could reach an agreement sooner rather than later.

Despite Smith’s conspicuous offensive contributions, head coach Tyronn Lue considers him their best defender at guard. Smith had 81 total steals and 21 total blocks last year, similar to his totals of 82 steals and 21 blocks the previous year.

Last year, Smith was responsible for 204 of the team’s made three-pointers and 955 total points while being the team’s fourth offensive option. In the playoffs, Smith upped his already sizzling three-point shooting average to 40.0 percent to 43.0 percent and made 65 threes in 21 games.

In fact, there are only two other seasons that have been better for Smith from a statistical standpoint. The 2012-13 season when he won the Sixth Man of the Year award while playing for the New York Knicks and the 2009-10 season for the Denver Nuggets, which was a season when the club won 53 games on their way to the Western Conference playoffs. However, the difference in the defensive play of Smith in those two seasons and Smith’s last season in Cleveland is that Smith has gone into the film room and become a student of the game.

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Smith used to watch Kobe Bryant‘s highlights for film study, now he watches actual game film. He notices nuances such as how Bryant swiped up and not down to make a steal. That’s a new tool for Smith and with his mentality maturing at a rapid rate it only boosts his impressive athletic profile. The free agent shooting guard is able to guard all three backcourt positions as an athletic, 6-foot-6, 225 pound shooting guard.

In the second round of the playoffs, Smith smothered Kyle Korver to the point where he only made six total threes in four games. In the 2016 NBA Finals, while being third on the team in minutes per game and points per game, he also held Klay Thompson to a pedestrian (for him) 35.0 percent shooting from three.

As the Cleveland Cavaliers work on bringing another championship to The Land, it’s clear that Smith is a big piece of the puzzle. Smith has been adopted by Cleveland’s fan after being cast out in New York and Denver. The Cavs current offer should come as close as possible to reflecting Smith’s real value to the team.

Do you think the Cleveland Cavaliers have the offer it takes to bring J.R. Smith back to The Land? Do you think the team can win without him? Let us know in the comments section or tweet @KJG_NBA and @30for30Albertie.