Contract negotiations between the Cleveland Cavaliers and free-agent shooting guard J.R. Smith are at an impasse, with both sides digging in their heels as LeBron James and company plead with them to get a deal done.
In the meantime, several teams are thinking about swooping in while the Cavs squeeze their fists, including the Boston Celtics, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
The Cavs insist they made Smith an "incredibly aggressive" offer, but it didn't meet his reported $15-million-a-year asking price. Cleveland's offer came in around $10 million-$11 million, Isola reports.
Smith's issue is his lack of leverage in terms of bringing Cleveland to the bargaining table. Because both Smith and every NBA front office assumed he'd return to Cleveland, roster spots were filled and cap space was used - there's now no other team which can realistically accommodate his salary demand. That includes the Celtics, who'd need to clear some $6 million in cap space to sign him.
Boston may yet do so with a well-executed salary-dump trade, but the most realistic scenario for Smith remains signing with Cleveland. He'll just have to hope the outside interest is enough to make the Cavs bend, if not outright cave to his demands.
