Once again, JR Smith is hearing his name in trade rumors. The shooting guard's future has never truly been secure with the New York Knicks and this year is no different. Smith has a player option in his contract for 2015 before the deal expires, but the Knicks need improvement in other positions so Smith might not get a chance to exercise that part of the deal if New York can get a mid-season deal.
According to ESPN's Ian Begley, Smith's days with the Knicks are numbered. The NBA insider is reporting that the Knicks are trying very hard to move Smith in the middle of the season, discussions that have been ongoing since July. Smith has $6 million in his contract for 2015 which is an easy pickup for any team looking for offensive help. Smith is a real talent when he wants to be. However, this season has been a different story as he struggles with the triangle offense. The shooting guard is only averaging 9.7 points while being 25.9 percent from beyond d the arc.
ESPN's Nick Borges believes that Smith is the easier move than Iman Shumpert or Tim Hardaway Jr. The Knicks favor the two younger guards for the remainder of the season over the veteran. Borges writes that plenty of teams with be interested in acquiring Smith as long as the Knicks' asking price is reasonable.
"J.R. has had a lot of issues but he can be a big-time scorer when he's doing the right things," said one high-ranking league executive, via ESPN.com. "There's always a team out there willing to take a chance on somebody if they feel he can put them over the top, and there's no doubt J.R. can play. People are going to be concerned about chemistry issues in the locker room, so it would have to be a strong leadership and coaching staff that take him in."
The Knicks could use help on defense along with depth at the point guard position as players like Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani remain injured on the year. New York has been rumored to be dealing Smith since last season's trade deadline, so there is a chance that nothing ends up happening with the shooting guard, but Phil Jackson could get aggressive in negotiations if the struggles continue.