Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith had to make a decision about his 2016-17 player option by the end of Thursday, and he has chosen to opt out of his contract. That will make him a free agent on July 1. This was a wise decision by Smith, because shooters have never been more important in the NBA.

The timing of this provision in his contract is quite strange, because Cleveland is currently down 3-2 in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.

If he wants to stay with the Cavaliers for a long time, then he might have to accept a lower contract than other teams may offer him. But there could be a contender in the league willing to give him a big deal, and this way Smith is keeping his options open. The shooting guard averaged 12.4 points per game this season, and he shot 40 percent from three-point land. It definitely helps his efficiency that LeBron James and Kyrie Irving are both capable of driving into the lane with ease, but it still takes a lot of work to knock down the long ball as efficiently as Smith does.

In the playoffs, he is averaging 11.4 points per game while shooting 44.4 percent from downtown. Smith deserves a lot of credit for his improvement on the defensive side of the ball. That is the main reason why he remained a part of the starting lineup, and his value has never been higher as a result. The Los Angeles Clippers might be interested in Smith if he is willing to play small forward, but that would be disastrous for Chris Paul‘s squad against teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.

If Smith wants to strike while the iron is hot, then it might be time for him to relocate again. However, if his true desire is hitching his wagon onto James, then he’ll have to take a cut in pay from what his value might be elsewhere.