Celtics are interested in JR Smith

[bizil]

They have 3 allstar types. Thomas, Horford and Crowder.

Surrounded by good role players in Bradley, Amir, Smart, Rozier, Olynyk, Zeller, Jerebko and possibly Jaylen Brown.

They will contend for the ECF this season and possibly further.

I'm talking SPECIFICALLY about a Hayward All Star type guy. A guy that can get around 20 points a night. Crowder HASN'T proved that yet. His forte is his hustle and defense. And I'm not TAKLING ABOUT an ECF appearance. I'm TALKING ABOUT if they are TRYING to overtake Cleveland in the East. JR ISN'T enough to get them over the hump.

I mentioned the 2004 Pistons BECAUSE they had Billups, Sheed, and Rip. Three very good scorers. That's a team that could win rings WITHOUT a superstar. Boston AS OF NOW doesn't have a team capable of winning a ring. A guy like Hayward (as opposed to Crowder) gives them three very good scorers. Guys who could score 18-20 points in a season year in and year out if needed.

[bizil]

Their ace in the hole is Brad Stevens. I don't know how good a coach he can be or if he can overcome not having that All-World talent you're talking about ... but, it wouldn't surprise me if he did.

I've been nothing but impressed with him since his days at Butler. He's a phenomenal coach and he now has enough "really good" pieces to potentially make the difference.

Good points! I think Boston SHOULD MODEL their squad after teams like the 2004 Pistons as I stated before. They don't have a superstar, but a team with a lot of depth. If they could add another guy like a Hayward, it would give them another very good scorer to go with Al and Isiah.

That would give them that Rip-Chauncey-Sheed type trio to build around. From there Stevens can coach them up to greater heights. BUT if they are trying to overtake Cleveland anytime soon, JR Smith isn't the answer. If ANYTHING use that roster depth to make a big trade at some point.

[RedBlackAttack]

I don't know who the source is for sure but if there was a contract out there for eighty million we would know because he would have signed it.

The Cavs would have matched it and then he would have signed it. That's the thing about these "negotiations." Leverage in NBA contract negotiations are usually pushed by what the market dictates.

Cleveland actually allowed JR to save some face last offseason by giving him just a little under what he would have made had he not opted out of his contract. He thought teams would be lining up to pay him after a good year on a championship team. He was dead wrong. There was literally no interest and the market was incredibly unkind to him ... think, vet minimum level unkind. That's how bad it was.

This offseason is different in two ways ... Smith now has two quality seasons under his belt after his self-destruction in New York and he signed with Klutch Sports (Rich Paul, LRMR).

But, as far as what's out there for him? I follow the Cavs as closely as humanly possible for someone not employed by the organization and I've heard no word of teams who could offer the money he's asking for actually offering him ... anything.

Trust me, if the Sixers or Nets or Nuggets had made a competitive offer, Rich Paul would be the first person to leak it to one of his media sources. That's the way agents use leverage to help their client.

Instead, we get this nonsensical garbage about the Celtics. I don't know that JR's people leaked that story and this wouldn't be the first time Isola just made something up out of whole cloth. But, I also wouldn't be surprised if this were a desperate attempt by Rich Paul to build leverage for JR with the Cavs.

If there was an actual market for JR at the price he wants, the Cavs would have already signed him at that dollar amount. There isn't and that's why they haven't ... and shouldn't.


It's a game of chicken right now. Who will blink first. Is JR really committed enough to sit out the season if he isn't given $15 million instead of $12 million? Yes, it's "just" $3 million for the Cavs and there are probably some disagreements about the contract length. But, with the Cavs well into luxury tax territory, those extra $3 million cost probably triple that in taxes. They also have the "repeater" tax to worry about for teams who continually land in luxury tax territory. That's why every dollar matters. A lot.

I see Smith eventually agreeing to something in the neigborhood of 4 years, $48 million. He could probably edge that "per year" dollar amount higher on a 3-year contract, but he's going to want that extra year .... and making JR comfortable in a long contract involves risk. Other teams have found that out the hard way.

I'd rather him get 3 years, $40 million with a team option for a fourth year just to keep him on his toes and focused.

It's amazing we're even at this place after Smith was unceremoniously dumped because he was carrying the heavy weight of a $6.5 million contract in 2015. That was a year-and-a-half ago.

[CelticBaller]

adds more depth

I like it