While things remain convoluted with Tristan Thompson's contract status, another negotiation has taken a complicated turn for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com reports that the Cavs have not offered a multi-year deal to guard J.R. Smith and have instead offered him a 1-year deal that would pay him fewer monies than the player option he declined a couple of months ago.
The hard part for Smith is he knows he should have picked up the player option for $6.4 million for 2015-16. When he passed and became a free agent, he really believed a multi-year offer for more money was coming his way.
It didn't happen.
The Cavs have made him an offer. I hear it's less than $6.4 million that he turned down. They know Smith is not thrilled with a lesser deal. But right now, he has no leverage, and a one-year contract puts him in position to cash in next summer when the salary cap rises 30 percent.
Smith may continue to wait. But right now, it seems Cleveland is his only option.
Here's hoping that Smith has an amazing 2015-16 season that helps catapult the Cavs to an NBA title and gets J.R. the financial compensation he desires.