Report: 'Only a matter of time' before J.R. Smith negotiates with other teams
As the Cleveland Cavaliers enter their third week of training camp without J.R. Smith, it's "only a matter of time" before the free agent shooting guard begins negotiations with other teams, ESPN's Marc Stein reports.
Cleveland has reportedly been offering Smith a deal in the range of $10 million-to-$11 million for a while, but are unwilling to offer anything more.
There are currently six teams who would be likely to meet Smith's contract demands, with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns, and Utah Jazz among the list.
Reports last week stated that the Boston Celtics had made an "incredibly aggressive offer" to Smith, despite that fact that they only have about $1 million in cap space. Stein confirmed that Boston has genuine interest, but is not an "active suitor" for his services.
With the NBA season set to tip off in just 11 days, Smith will need to sign with a team soon to avoid missing a portion of the regular season.
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