Cleveland Cavaliers: Should the Cavs trade or keep JR Smith?

2 of 5

BOSTON, MA – MAY 13: JR Smith #5 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts from the bench late in the fourth quarter in his teams loss to the Boston Celtics in Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden on May 13, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Celtics defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-83. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

The new Cavs?

The Cavs look to construct a young core in Osman, Nance JR., and 8^th overall pick Colin Sexton.

Though only scoring 3.9 points per game in his rookie season, Cedi Osman shot 48.4% from the field and 36.8% from three and showed potential in his brief starting stint later in the season.

Nance Jr. brought a much-needed spark to the team after being brought over from LA, and, according to NBA.com, Cleveland is interested in keeping the 25-year-old. Sexton may prove to be a foundational and star point guard in the years going forward.

More from King James Gospel

The aging J.R. Smith, whose off-court antics could also mean trouble to a young locker room, does not fit within a timeline centered on these prospects. The Cavs held the highest payroll in the league last season and Smith’s contract only added to this. Assuming LeBron leaves, the team should look to shed salary and make room for their new identity.

He’s not the only one…

J.R. is not the only odd man out. Other players still on contract that come to mind: George Hill, Jordan Clarkson, Tristan Thompson, and Kyle Korver.

While decently productive, the 32-year-old Hill showed that Sacramento overpaid him with a contract worth $37 million over the next two years. Jordan Clarkson greatly depreciated his value in his horrific playoff run, where he shot above 40% from the field in only 1 of his 18 appearances.

Combining one of these players with Smith may actually make the deal even less appealing to a potential trade partner. Instead, Cleveland should hold onto them in hopes they can up their value next season and look for potential trades during the deadline to desperate contenders. You know, teams like last year’s Cavs.

Tristan Thompson was unimpressive for much of the season and eventually fell out of the rotation until he was revived in later playoff rounds.

However, his big contract of $36 million over the next two years would likely handicap a team that took both him and Smith, as they would fill lots of their cap with players who would not drastically move the needle for them. Instead, the Cavs may be forced to play the long game with Thompson and wait out his contract.

And who knows, maybe the 27-year-old will return to his old form.