The Cleveland Cavaliers have waived shooting guard JR Smith, the team announced today.
Smith will become an unrestricted free agent once he clears waivers on Thursday, however a reunion with LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers is 'unlikely' according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Once guard JR Smith clears waivers, the Los Angeles Lakers are an unlikely destination, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 15, 2019
The Cavs had been trying to find a trade partner for Smith for several months to no avail, despite him agreeing to extend his guarantee date for his salary from June 30 to July 15.
Smith would have been guaranteed another $750,000 in salary for next season had he remained on the Cavs roster beyond today, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks and his full $15.7 million salary would have been guaranteed after July 31. The move now puts the Cavs $2.85 million under the luxury tax line.
The 33-year-old appeared in just 11 games for the Cavs last season after stepping away from the team in the hopes of being traded to another team.
Smith is expected to garner interest from contending teams around the league, bringing a strong 3-and-D presence, with the former Sixth Man of the Year boasting a career average 37.3 percent from the three-point line.
In his four-and-a-half seasons in Cleveland, Smith averaged 10.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 29.3 minutes per game (255 games), playing a pivotal role in the Cavs overcoming a 3-1 deficit to win the 2016 NBA championship.
Smith owns career averages of 12.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 steals.