All baggage aside, what interest if any, should the Cavaliers front office direct towards J.R. Smith? Over the past few days, the Nuggets have expressed an interest in shopping the 6'6 220 lbs guard from St. Benedict's Prep. The real question is what do they want in return?
Smith has been known to have his issues, but has also shown flashes of greatness on the court. The Cavaliers do have some pieces that would interest the Denver Nuggets. For example: Mo Williams, Anderson Varejao, J.J. Hickson and Antawn Jamison. The following list of players includes four of the five likely starters on the upcoming squad and also the bulk of the Cavaliers offensive production. I don't foresee Chris Grant taking a major look at J.R. Smith considering what he would likely have to give up in return.
Another issue at hand is the expiring contract in which Smith would become a free agent after next season. Do the Cavaliers want to dump players like Varejao and Hickson to end up with a "good" player who would possibly bolt for a "contender" after the season ends? My guess is no. If this team is in rebuilding mode and has hopes for the future, trading the nucleolus of your team for a player who may or may not come through and would likely leave at the end of the season, doesn't make much sense.
If Smith could be acquired without destructing the core of this team, it would be a good pickup considering he brings experience and is only twenty five years old. I just don't see how we could acquire a player like Smith from Denver without shelling out players we can't afford to loose. The Nuggets are shopping Smith, but I don't think this is a situation where he's traded for nothing. His contract guarantees him 6.03 million this season, which in the grand scheme is a manageable contract for most teams. With that being said, I don't see any team waltzing into the Nuggets office and giving them peanuts for Mr. Smith.
UPDATE: Police: J.R. Smith Involved in Altercation at Nuggets Practice Facility