J.R. Smith announces he's returning to Cavaliers

By foxsports
Published

J.R. Smith will give it another go with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The streaky shooter announced on Instagram that he's returning to Cleveland for a second season. He did not discuss terms of the new deal.

An error occurred while retrieving the Instagram post. It might have been deleted.

Smith declined his $6.8 million player option following the season. He looked at other teams before deciding to return to Cleveland, said the person who spoke to the Associated Press on Thursday night on condition of anonymity because the contract has not yet been signed.

Smith was dealt to the Cavaliers from the New York Knicks last season and regained some of the form that made him the Sixth Man of the Year in 2012-13. After coming to Cleveland with Iman Shumpert in the trade with the Knicks, Smith averaged 12.7 points in 46 regular-season games with Cleveland, and seemed to fit in nicely as well as bond with star LeBron James and point guard Kyrie Irving.

During the playoffs, Smith was forced into a more prominent role following injuries to Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving and averaged 12.8 points in 18 games, starting four. He was also suspended for two games for hitting Celtics forward Jae Crowder in the face.

With Smith back in the fold, the Cavaliers have nearly all their main contributors back except forward Tristan Thompson, who's seeking a max contract. The Cavs are still hoping to re-sign Thompson, a restricted free agent.