- Damon Jones’ grateful response to LeBron James naming him one of the best shooters he’s ever played with
- Report: Rajon Rondo allegedly threatened to kill his former partner and pulled a gun on her
- Report: J.B. Bickerstaff and Koby Altman have discussed a potential change to the Cavs coaching staff
- Cavs insider indicates Rich Paul is expected to pursue extension in $180M range for Darius Garland
- Dan Gilbert’s confident statement regarding Koby Altman after he misses out on Executive of the Year
- Report: Kyrie Irving wanted LeBron James-like control with Brooklyn Nets
- Here’s how close Cavs exec Koby Altman came to winning Executive of the Year honors
- Darius Garland explains why it hurt so much that the Cavs didn’t make the playoffs this season
- Video: Kyrie Irving lashes out during GTA Twitch stream, calls other players ‘cockroaches’
- Report: 2 former Cavs big men open to returning to franchise
Report: ESPN’s Marc Stein Reveals What Forced Cavs to Give J.R. Smith Lucrative Deal
- Updated: October 15, 2016

If you haven’t heard, shooting guard J.R. Smith re-signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday to the tune of $57 million over the course of four years.
It had initially been reported that the Cavs were only willing to offer as high as $11 million per year, while Smith was seeking closer to a $15 million per year deal.
In the end, Smith and his agent Rich Paul got close to what they wanted, and got a deal faster than they had expected due to an outside factor, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.
Stein reports that Philadelphia 76ers general manager Bryan Colangelo had “pushed hard” for Smith, ultimately causing the Cavs to end the contract stalls and give Smith what he wanted.
ESPN sources say a hard push from Sixers GM Bryan Colangelo for J.R. Smith helped sparked Friday's talks with the Cavs to get a deal done
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) October 15, 2016
The 31-year-old Smith returns as a key component of a Cavs team looking to start the defense of its NBA title on Oct. 25 against the New York Knicks.
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