NBA star J.R. Smith is a disgruntled Cleveland Cavalier at the moment and says he wants off the team. That’s because he believes the Cavs are purposelessly losing to gain a top lottery pick in the 2019 draft, which go to the squads with the worst records.
The Cavs’ currently stand at a dismal 2-13 after a loss to the Detroit Pistons on Monday night, which for now is the worst record in the league.
Of course, things have been a complete mess for the franchise since LeBron James made an exodus to Los Angeles to play for the Lakers. They lost their first six games, which got coach Tyronn Lue fired. Plus, their star forward Kevin Love has been out with a toe injury.
So at this point, Smith said he’s had enough and wants to be traded, especially if the goal of the team is to lose games to secure a high draft pick.
“I don’t think the goal is to win,” he told The Athletic. “The goal isn’t to go out there and try to get as many wins as you can. I think the goal is to develop and lose to get lottery picks. I think that was always the plan.”
Then after being asked if he wanted to remain in Cleveland, the 6’6″ two-guard said “Not if the goal isn’t to compete to win.”
But Smith doesn’t want his contract to be bought out, which would mean he would negotiate which parts of it would be honored and dismissed upon his exit. Instead, he rather be traded to another team and leave Cleveland on somewhat of a positive note.
“I don’t want my legacy to be remembered like that in Cleveland,” Smith explained. “I don’t think that’s fair to the people I see every single day walking around the arena. I don’t think that’s fair to the trainers or equipment guys … I just look at it differently than being traded. I don’t like the statement of getting bought out.”
Right now, Smith is averaging just over six points a game, a career low and comes off the bench about 20 minutes each night.
