NBA Rumors: Cleveland Cavaliers Seal JR Smith Contract; LeBron James, Kyrie Irving Convince PG Return

By Mitch de Leon
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Kevin Love, JR Smith and Tristan Thompson arrive home to a welcome party in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., June 20, 2016.  REUTERS/Aaron Josefczyk

The Cleveland Cavaliers just sealed the deal with LeBron James, who signed for a three-year deal with the Kyrie Irving team, and the JR Smith contract appears to have also reached its final stage. In his announcement, King James himself shared that the Kevin Love team must now focus on the former New York Knicks star. That is, LeBron James expects a JR Smith contract "done" now.

The 2016 free agency had been an uneventful run for the Cleveland Cavaliers. After winning the NBA championship over the Golden State Warriors, the LeBron James squad felt no need to chase free agents such as Hassan Whiteside and Al Horford. Even Kevin Durant, who is now part of the lineup including Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, failed to catch the interest of the Kyrie Irving team. Instead, the Cleveland Cavaliers focused on re-signing the members of its 2015-16 NBA season roster.

One of the most talked about Cleveland Cavaliers free agent is JR Smith. Following a breakout performance in the 2015-16 NBA Finals agains the Golden State Warriors, the former New York Knicks star proved to be a crucial member of the Kyrie Irving squad in Game 7. Hence, it comes as no surprise that LeBron James now demands a JR Smith contract as soon as possible - the same thing he asked for Tristan Thompson in the past NBA offseason.

"I just want to let y'all know I'm re-signing back with the Cleveland Cavaliers, my hometown team," shared LeBron James. He added, "I can't be more excited than this opportunity once again, man, to defend our crown, defend our title. We all know last year as a magical, inspiring -- all the words you can come up with -- it was an unbelievable season. I just can't wait to get the group back together -- the team, the franchise, more importantly, get everybody together, the fans. Without you guys, without your passion and commitment, we wouldn't have been able to do what we did this past season."

The former Miami Heat superstar further noted, "I'm ecstatic. I can't wait to see my guys. I can't wait to get back out there in the wine and gold and just get the band back together. Lastly, let's get J.R. (Smith) done. It's that time."

At this point, the Cleveland Cavaliers and JR Smith are said to be in a mutual agreement to reunite. However, there remain some details of the contract to work out. To be more specific, rumors are rife that JR Smith is asking for a very steep price for his services. This now becomes a problem due to the salary cap limitations of the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, sources claim that both parties are confident that a deal will be reached soon.

"The sense from sources close to all of this was that Smith and the Cavaliers will reach a new deal, it just might not happen until closer to camp once the Cavaliers are sure there isn't another roster move to be made," revealed Steve Kyler of the Basketball Insider.

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