In a recent interview with Complex, J.R. Smith opened up while doing one of his favorite things on Earth, playing golf. The interview is tremendously entertaining, which is no surprise. Smith is one of the greatest and most fascinating NBA personalities out there and a tremendous interview when he opens up.
Of course the matter that's most interesting to Cavs fans is the status of the contract negotiations between Smith and the Cleveland Cavaliers. When it comes to when he will re-sign:
He has no idea when he’ll sign with the Cavaliers—"Soon, I hope," he says. Cleveland is realistically the only team Smith can sign with for the money he’s looking for.
Smith shared on what the hold-up is with his new contract:
"Well, obviously we’re not where we want to be at from a personal standpoint," says Smith. "But it’s more than just numbers. I don’t want to feel like I’m taking advantage of the Cavs for everything they’ve done for me, and I don’t want them to feel like I’m taking advantage of them. It’s more of a mutual respect thing."
It doesn't seem surprising to me that there's mutual respect between both parties. The sense has always been that both sides want to remain together and that there isn't a better situation for Smith, or a better alternative for the Cavs.
I strongly recommend reading the whole interview, and hopefully the Smith contract will be resolved sooner rather than later. It seems inevitable that both parties remain together, it's simply a question of when.