A J.R. Smith trade to the Minnesota Timberwolves would be a strong gamble, especially if he calls out Tyus Jones for not knowing how to play basketball.
In this trade idea, I have the Wolves and the Cleveland Cavaliers exchanging J.R. Smith and Gorgui Dieng, as well as a future second round pick going to the Cavs for taking on the extra cap in Dieng’s contract.
While I do see this trade as the most unlikely out of the five, I do think there is a realm of possibility where Wolves’ general manager Scott Layden believes that the team needs a scorer off the bench like last season in Jamal Crawford.
And Smith – in a vacuum – can deliver offensively and lead a bench with solid production.
The problem is that Smith has been dragging the Cavaliers down and has almost been a poison in the locker room. Going as far as telling the media that rookie point guard Colin Sexton isn’t good at basketball, and he may not know how to play.
Which, in recent weeks, has became a ludicrous statement with how well Sexton has been playing; Outshining most of the guards from his draft class over the past few weeks.
This move would give the Wolves a solid 8th or 9th man off the bench that could provide scoring in several facets. But, it’s possible Smith could be hitting the bottom of his career, with only playing 11 games thus far this season and averaging under 34 percent from the field.
It isn’t too far off to say that he could be done in an NBA jersey for the foreseeable future.
In conclusion, I wouldn’t take the chance on Smith. As he’s proven to be a cog in teams’ chemistry and has shown a lack of effort on the court all season.
This could all just be from LeBron’s absence and Smith not liking Cleveland when they aren’t winning, but not a good sign for the Wolves who need a lot less selfish attitudes around the locker room.