J.R. Smith nervous about making free-agency decision

J.R. Smith was as emotional (and unabashedly jubilant) as anyone following the Cleveland Cavaliers' stunning NBA title win. Now, a month later, as one of the league's few remaining high-profile free agents, he faces a potentially difficult decision regarding his future.

Smith opted out of the final year of his contract with Cleveland, and though general manager David Griffin has said he's "very confident" the Cavs will re-sign Smith, the 30-year-old shooting guard remains without a new deal two-plus weeks into free agency.

The Cavs have a ton of money on their books for next season (after footing an astronomical luxury-tax bill in 2015-16) and LeBron James still hasn't signed, so it stands to reason that Smith would be able to land a bigger contract elsewhere, especially since several teams still sit below the league's salary floor.

Amidst the uncertainty, Smith admitted he's been forced to consider the possibility of leaving the team with which he became a world champion.

"I've thought about that situation, and I've thought about it the other way, too, going back and winning again," Smith said in an ESPN interview this week. "Both of them are juggled in the air and I'm actually kind of nervous about that choice when it gets presented to me."

Smith certainly seems open to taking less money to remain in Cleveland, so long as the eventual agreement is the product of compromise, not exploitation. He acknowledged that he could've made more playing for a different team last season, but that the decision to re-sign last summer worked out for the best.

"That's the name of the game: Sacrifice," he said. "If I didn't sacrifice then, I wouldn't be a champ now. There has to be sacrifice on both sides, and I think both sides have to come to an understanding where neither one of us is taking advantage of one another, and we can move from there."