Re-Signing J.R. Smith is Priority No. 1 for Cleveland Cavaliers

Fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers awoke today to see the team lost a player less than an hour into NBA free agency. Timofey Mozgov, who went from starting center to twelfth man in the blink of an eye, agreed to a four-year, $64 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. Obviously, the Cavs weren’t expected to give him that much money this summer, so the speed at which he sought greener pastures was no surprise.

At the end of the day, Mozgov was already expected to suit up for another team next year. His removal from Cleveland’s rotation made his exit a certainty. Quite frankly, the Cavs just didn’t have Mozgov high on their list of free agents to lock up.

With only a $3.5 million mini mid-level exception to work with, Cleveland’s free agency focus is once again honed in on retaining its own players. Right now, one of the most important signings the team needs to make is J.R. Smith.

OK, to clarify, obviously the biggest task at hand is re-signing LeBron James. At the same time, he’s already expected to sign a new deal with the Cavs, so it’s essentially a matter of time until this gets taken care of.

In Smith, there’s less certainty. That said, he’s someone Cleveland needs to keep in the fold.

Let’s take a step back and think about what was just said. Smith, whose notoriety is known league-wide, is a priority free agent for the Cavs. Thinking back to when the team traded for him midway through the 2014-15 season, did anyone actually think he would be viewed with such importance?

Remember, the New York Knicks told Cleveland it had to take Smith if a deal for guard Iman Shumpert was to be completed. The team wanted him gone that badly. The Cavs’ front office went to James to tell him this, only to hear him say “Just get him here and I’ll take care of it.”

James indeed took care of it, and Smith is now an important piece of Cleveland’s roster.

Not only has the sharpshooter stayed out of trouble since joining the Cavs, he’s also become an incredibly reliable starter. His three-point shooting was a huge contribution to Cleveland’s championship run, as he proved to be an excellent kick-out option for James when driving to the lane.

Surprisingly, Smith was also able to contribute much more defensively than anyone would’ve expected. While he didn’t become a lock-down defender overnight, Smith held his own against the likes of Kyle Korver and Klay Thompson throughout the postseason.

Overall, Smith transformed from a trade throw-in to a key starter in Cleveland. As a result, the Cavs have to bring him back.

Smith opted out of the final year of his contract, and is now an unrestricted free agent. He did the same last summer, expecting a handful of offers to pick from. Unfortunately for him, the response just wasn’t there. Smith ended up re-signing with Cleveland in late August for less money than he could’ve made had he opted in for another year.

The hope is the Cavs don’t let it get that far this time around. As many are seeing just hours into free agency, a lot of money is getting thrown around this summer. It wouldn’t be surprising if two straight solid seasons in Cleveland would convince other teams Smith might be worth a look. While Smith likely wants to stay with the Cavs, things can change if he receives an offer way too high to ignore.

This is why Cleveland needs to get him locked up quickly. While it’s far more likely the rest of the league still sees Smith as a liability, someone who can only thrive if James is keeping him in check, the Cavs don’t want to risk it by letting him test the market again.

In Cleveland, Smith became a crucial piece of the rotation, something nobody honestly would’ve anticipated when he was dealt there a couple years ago. As a result, re-signing him is something the Cavs simply have to do.