NBA Rumors: New York Knicks JR Smith Trade In The Works; Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis Add SF To Derrick Rose Team

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 New York Knicks are rebuilding their roster while also adding players who can boost their chances of actually making it to the NBA players. With the clock ticking for Carmelo Anthony, the Kristaps Porzingis squad added former Chicago Bulls superstars Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. With "redemption" seemingly the team in the free agent moves of the New York Knicks, it comes as no surprise that JR Smith is another star in their list.

"Redemption is a powerful emotion," said Joakim Noah following his contract signing with the New York Knicks. The former Chicago Bulls star added, "It's a powerful thing."

JR Smith recently won the 2015-16 NBA Finals with the Cleveland Cavaliers as he played alongside LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love to beat Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors. With the Kevin Durant free agency deal landing in the Harrison Barnes squad, the Iman Shumpert team is expected to pull out all the stops to secure that the championship remains in Oakland. However, it appears that JR Smith might no longer be part of the plan.

"I've thought about that situation (leaving Cleveland), and I've thought about it the other way, too, going back and winning again," shared JR Smith of his free agency plans. He added, "Both are juggled in the air and I'm kind of nervous about that choice when it gets presented to me."

While his breakup from the New York Knicks was painful to say the least, rumors are rife that the Carmelo Anthony squad is gearing up to re-sign their prodigal star. With Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah in the roster, the addition of an aggressive small forward in JR Smith can make the Kristaps Porzingis squad a serious contender in the league. Moreover, the New York Knicks have sufficient cap space to accommodate the salary demands of the Cleveland Cavaliers star.

"Yikes... hearing JR Smith seeking huge deal to return to Cavs, in the $15m per year range," revealed Steve Kyler via social media. The Basketball Insiders expert added, "Can Cavs really pass on bringing him back?"

With the likes of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love in the roster, the Cleveland Cavaliers currently have a tight budget. In addition to these superstars, the team agreed to a massive deal with Tristan Thompson last year. Hence, the asking price of JR Smith might just be too steep for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

While the deal has yet to be ironed out, the Cleveland Cavaliers seem sure though that JR Smith will return to the roster. David Griffin, in his recent comments, shared that the team and the star have the same goals. Hence, everything will fall into place soon enough. That is, fans can expect JR Smith to still be donning a Cleveland Cavaliers jersey next NBA season.

"I think the good news is J.R. wants to be here and we want J.R. back," shared Griffin of the free agency of JR Smith. The Cleveland Cavaliers exec added, "These things sometimes take time and he has representatives that want him to be with us as well. When the time is right something will get done. I'm very confident about that."

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