Knicks' Anthony had to calm down 'brother' J.R. Smith after trade

J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert were expecting to help the New York Knicks end their losing ways Monday night. 

Instead, word came down just before tipoff against the Memphis Grizzlies that the guard duo were headed to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team deal that created cap flexibility for New York. 

Related: Why the Cavaliers won 3-team trade with Knicks, Thunder

The pair, at least initially, didn't take the news well, and Knicks star Carmelo Anthony reportedly had to calm them down in the locker room after they heard their stints in the Big Apple had come to an end. 

Anthony and Smith have a history, having played together with the Denver Nuggets prior to pairing up with the Knicks. 

"Me and J.R. was rocking with each other since Denver days, almost 10 years," Anthony said, according to Andrew Keh of The New York Times. "That's a long time to just - one day it's over."

Anthony referred to Smith as his brother and Shumpert, a first-round pick of the Knicks in 2011, as his rookie. 

Smith's brother Chris, meanwhile, told the New York Post that the New Jersey-born J.R. had mixed feelings about leaving the 5-32 Knicks. 

"It's home," Chris said. "He didn't want to leave, really. At the same time, he has a chance to win a championship and have a new beginning.

"It's his time again."

Smith, averaging 10.9 points on 40.2 percent shooting from the field, may get a chance to prove it's his time again Wednesday when Cleveland takes on the Houston Rockets. It's possible he'll make his debut versus the Western Conference powerhouse, according to Chris Haynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.