Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 takeaways from reported waiving of J.R. Smith

#3: The end seems to be near for Smith

Smith’s play, as we’ve touched on, had been on the decline since his 2016 postseason run. He only appeared in 41 games due to a reported thumb injury in the 2016-17 season, and struggled then, and in the ensuing seasons overall, though in the postseason, he did have his moments.

He is going to be 34 years old in September, and with the way he only appeared in 11 games in 2018-19 and didn’t have interest in playing for the Cavs, I’m not sure teams will want to take even a minimum contract flier on Smith, given the complete uncertainty of how he’ll be able to play next season.

One logical destination for the veteran two guard would be the Los Angeles Lakers, who are slated to have one roster spot open going into next year currently, and it was previously reported by Yahoo! Sports’ Chris Haynes that the Lakers could have interest in Smith once he was waived, and we touched on those prospects, but now, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Lakers are an “unlikely destination,” for Smith (h/t Bleacher Report’s Mike Chiari).

If that’s not the case for Smith, with the LeBron/Rich Paul agency connection, it’s difficult to see potential suitors for Smith. He is a lifetime 37.3% three-point shooter (per Basketball Reference), but his overall effectiveness on both ends has been trending downward, and is he still in it fully from a mental aspect if he has to be a bench player?

That I’m totally unsure of, and if Smith retires in the near future, I wouldn’t be shocked, and he has plenty to be proud of in appearing in 971 career games (per Basketball Reference) and playing a big role on a championship team.

Anyhow, from the Cleveland Cavaliers’ perspective, their waiving and likely stretching of Smith wasn’t all that terrible of an outcome, and now their roster reportedly has two open spots going into next season (though one spot is likely to be left open).

I wish you the best of luck in whatever comes next, Mr. Smith.