Negotiations for J.R. Smith's contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers are still ongoing and according to a recent report, the reason why he wants more money from the team is because he's jealous of other players in the NBA. Specifically, Smith is reportedly looking to get the same treatment that Jeremy Lin and Timofey Mozgov received from their teams.
Shortly after LeBron James inked his three-year deal with the Cavs, the attention of NBA fans turned to Smith, who, despite being this offseason's top free agent, still remains unsigned.
According to Hoops Habit, the Cavs have already made an offer to Smith, which is a contract that would grant him $10 million per season. However, since Smith believes he's worth more than that, he's reportedly asking the team to pay him around $15 million a year.
As noted by Morning News USA, Smith may have gotten the idea of increasing his asking price after learning about the contracts signed by other players in the league.
One of these is Lin. For the majority of his career in the NBA, Lin was paid and used as a back-up player. However, when he signed with the Brooklyn Nets, he was given a three-year contract that's worth $38.3 million.
Another player that could be influencing Smith's mindset is his former teammate Mozgov. Before signing with the Los Angeles Lakers, Mozgov spent the 2015-2016 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, he didn't get to play much that year.
Still though, Mozgov was signed by the Lakers earlier this year with a four-year contract worth $64 million. This deal might have had a negative effect on Smith because he certainly knows that he's more valuable than Mozgov. This was clearly shows as the Cavs defeated the Golden State Warriors at the 2016 NBA Championships.
Smith might be thinking that if these backup players were able to land good deals with their new teams, then he too should get paid more by the Cavs. After all, he was one of the team's core members who drove to team to the finals.
However, since the Cavs recently gave James a huge salary, it isn't clear if the team has enough resources to grant $15 million a year to Smith.
