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Today J.R. Smith declined his player option in his contract
with the New York Knicks, making him a free agent on July 1st.
Smith is foregoing $2.4 million dollars he would have made
if he picked up his option to become a free agent. Smith is eligible to for a 20% pay raise,
meaning he can sign for as much as four years and $12.2 million with a
team. Another option, according to the
New York Times, is to re-sign with the Knicks for a one year with the Early
Bird rights, putting him on track to make at least $5.3 million in the
2013-2014 season.
Smith’s father, Earl, told espnnewyork.com that he was going
to make a strong push for his son to stay in New York
and play for the Knicks. That may not be
a plausible option for Smith though, as his father does concede that, “it’s
very clear that the money is the biggest factor with him.”
Smith joined the Knicks this past season in mid-February to
a prorated $2.5 million contract after returning from China .
Smith struggled at times with the Knicks, averaging 12.5
points per game on 40% shooting with 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game in
the regular season. His playoff numbers
were below average, struggling with his shot as he went 11-48 in the last three
games of the series against the Miami Heat.
I for one am in favor of the Knicks trying to bring Smith
back into the fold. At times he was
erratic with his shot selection, but he is not afraid of the big moment and
seemed to be tamed by Mike Woodson.
Smith has the talent to be a top player in the NBA; it is just a matter
of a coaching staff getting the effort out of him for it to shine through.
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