When the New York Knicks announced J.R. Smith’s major knee operation in mid-July, just days after signing him to a four-year $25 million contract, something smelled fishy.
It appears that Smith hid his plans for surgery from the Knicks to better his financial position as a free agent.
“For one, I’m a father and I have two young children to look after,” Smith said Monday. “It made more sense for my family to get a deal done before [surgery].”
Though the team says it was aware of Smith’s condition prior to signing the deal, it’s strange that they would spend so much money on a player who was planning such a risky procedure.
Smith is undergoing patella tendon surgery for a tear in his meniscus, which commonly leads to an additional microfracture surgery. If Smith is lucky, he will only be sidelined until Nov., 25, that’s 12 games into the Knicks’ regular season.
Re-signing an injured Smith just doesn’t seem like the best use of the team’s $25 million.
