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With the regular season, and ring night, on the horizon, the Cleveland Cavaliers have finally come to terms with their starting shooting guard, J.R. Smith. Similar to a year ago with Tristan Thompson, the negotiations dragged on through the summer all the way in training camp.
JUST IN: J.R. Smith & Cavs have agreed on a four-year, $57M deal. (via @ESPNSteinLine) pic.twitter.com/LkIYpQTqcU
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 15, 2016
It’s not clear how much money is guaranteed here but we will keep you updated as the reports come in. Without knowing that, it’s hard to give a real analysis. Smith was integral to the title run last year, but is advancing in age. The team needs him now, but it’s not clear how long he can sustain this play. His behavior history would make this a hard deal to move. For two years consecutively he has struggled to command a ton of attention on the open market. Even so, he’s a good to very good shooter who has shown discipline next to LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.
In the meantime, the Cavs are a very good team and just brought an important piece back. The title defense gets started on the right foot.