The Cleveland Cavaliers and guard J.R. Smith have agreed to a four-year, $57-million contract, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein.
It was a long and stretched out process just like it was in 2015 when management waited until Sept. 2 to re-sign him to a one-year contract after he opted out.
Cleveland was reportedly willing to pay the 12-year pro in the range of $10 million to $11 million, but wasn’t willing to go above and beyond that number. Though Smith wanted something closer to $15 million per season. That became a huge issue with the organization already so deep into the luxury tax.
This new deal will be worth more than $14 million annually, but not all of it will be guaranteed, according to Cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon.