J.R. Smith forever will be remembered for his gaffe against the Warriors in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals. One year later, the Cavaliers reportedly tried to send the shooting guard to Golden State.
The Cavs tried to trade Smith to the Warriors for Andre Iguodala, Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor reported Saturday. Before the Warriors traded Iguodala to the Grizzlies, Cleveland "offered lighter protections" in an Iguodala-Smith swap, according to Fedor.
Smith has a partially guaranteed contract worth $4.37 million, which Fedor reports was the hurdle in a potential trade. By sending Iguodala's $17.1 million contract into Memphis' open salary cap space, the Warriors received a trade exception that can help them make future moves.
The Warriors would not have received the trade exception if they had added Smith's partially guaranteed deal.
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Smith, 33, only played 11 games last season for the Cavs and averaged a career-low 6.7 points per game. The Cavs will now waive the veteran shooting guard Monday, Cleveland.com reported.
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Smith will now become a free agent, but he certainly won't wear a Warriors jersey next season.
