The Cleveland Cavaliers and JR Smith are rumored to be not on the "same page" with regards to the shooting guard's salary demand and that the Minnesota Timberwolves would be willing to sign the shooting guard and grant his request.
SB Nation reported that as of the moment the Cavs and Smith "remain at an impasse" in terms of giving the latter a new deal this upcoming season with training camp only weeks away.
The 30-year-old former Sixth Man of the Year awardee is said to be asking a $15 million a year salary from Cleveland but the club is willing to give him up to $10 million only. The report noted that "no other team is trying to sign Smith and the Cavs haven't had a reason to increase their offer" as well, which is the cause of the two party's standoff.
The article then cited ESPN's Brian Windhorst reminding that this is the same time last year when the former Lakewood High School star chose to re-sign with Cleveland "after waiting all summer for a contract offer to come in".
In other words, this is exactly the same situation Smith was in last summer and so he does not have any leverage to demand anything from the Cavs. Last year, he ended up getting less than what he would have earned if he did not opt out of his contract.
However, Chat Sports Net indicated that the Timberwolves are rumored to be willing to give the mercurial shooting guard the deal that he wants moving forward. If the speculations are true, then the dynamics of his contract negotiations with the Cavs is set to change.
Smith wants to remain in Cleveland to defend their title next season and the Cavs also want him back, which means any offer from Minnesota is more likely going to be fended off by the reigning champs.
The Timberwolves reportedly have "$25.5 million in salary cap space, leaving a lot of room to make way for Smith's demands", but the question would be: is Cleveland ready to part ways with one of their key personnel in last season's title run?
Smith had been an important factor in last June's NBA Finals with his timely outside shooting and defense on the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.