LeBron James: “J.R. Smith Did His Part”

As the contract negotiations between J.R. Smith and the Cavaliers drag on through the first week of training camp, LeBron James is not the happiest of campers, once again, a feeling similar to what he went through before the 2015-16 season with Tristan Thompson.

LeBron wants Cavs to sign JR Smith. Upset because Tristan Thompson had lengthy holdout in 2015. "I just hate to deal with this s— again."

— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) September 30, 2016

LeBron: "Negotiations are always two-sides but J.R. did his part. J.R. did his part. He showed up every day. Worked his a– off every day."

— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) September 30, 2016

Some would say that Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert and his front office are stubborn and should just give into whatever demands that Smith and his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports are seeking.

There has been a bit of a history of Gilbert and Cleveland’s front office playing hardball time and time again; even going back to Anderson Varejao in 2007.

By the same token, Paul has a similar history of seeking aggressive contracts that caused some to raise their eyebrows.

Remember when Thompson signed the five-year deal for $82 million?

Even Cavs fans and ardent supporters of Thompson were taken aback by that deal at first glance.

But one championship later, and now that people see how much the market value of players has increased with the expanded salary cap, it doesn’t seem like such an overpriced contract.

It’ll be interesting to see what Smith ends up getting, as he’s not in the level of shooting guards like DeMar DeRozan, but he’s not far from the top of the list.

As it relates to LeBron, one writer suggested that his frustration with the front office in the Thompson and Smith situations could affect his desire to spend the rest of his career in Cleveland.

LeBron signed a three-year deal heading into this season, but beyond that, there’s always a possibility that he could sign somewhere else.

Personally, I don’t see that happening, but for the benefit of everyone involved, hopefully the Cavs and Smith can find a middle ground and the fans don’t have to go through this again in the summer of 2017.