JR hasn’t played terribly this season and he made some clutch plays in the Knicks upset of the Cavs, but he is still shooting poorly and isn’t the best fit for what the Knicks are trying to do long term. That is why it isn’t surprising they are shopping him around.
Here are the details via the NY Post.
One of president Phil Jackson’s big decisions this season is whether to trade J.R. Smith, and the club had recent conversations with the Pacers regarding ex-Knick Chris Copeland, according to a league source.
The 6-foot-9 Copeland, whom the Pacers signed in July 2013, has an expiring contract after bolting the Knicks for a two-year, $6 million deal, so he wouldn’t affect their 2015 cap space.
Smith, meanwhile, can opt out of the $6.4 million he has coming in 2015-16, but there’s still a chance he will wait to be a free agent until 2016 when the salary cap is expected to rise dramatically. The Knicks are trying to open up as much cap space as possible and would benefit if Smith opts out or if they trade him for an expiring contract.
JR loves NYC, so I don’t see any way he opts out, so they are going to have to trade him if they don’t want him on the squad anymore.