Updated 3:25 p.m. ET: J.R. Smith hopped on Twitter to respond to reports that he considered putting distance between himself and Cavs.
See original story below.
It's been a tough year for J.R. Smith. His Game 1 blunder in the 2018 Finals likely cost Cleveland their best chance at making that a real series, and LeBron James then left this offseason. His new Supreme tattoo might cost him some money, and an opportunity to play with a contender came and went with no trade. He was even explicitedly mentioned by a racist cop in Milwaukee before having to turn himself in to the NYPD.
All this is to say that Smith is in a bad head space, which might explain why he allegedly thought about leaving the Cavs this season after he was removed from the regular rotation, per an ESPN report on interim Cavs coach Larry Drew:
Smith stands to make $14.7 million this season, and another $15.6 million next year. Now is not the time to bail, even if the firing of Ty Lue and also-rans leftover after LeBron's departure makes life a little harder than it used to be. Smith's Instagram feed has started to resemble that of the emo kid from high school getting over a bad breakup.
We're rooting for J.R. Smith.
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