Suitors expected to line up for J.R. Smith this summer

J.R. Smith’s stint with the New York Knicks is likely to be a short one, as the shooting guard is expected to test free agency after the season.

As noted by HoopsWorld, the Knicks signed Smith, after his season in China, to the room exception for $2.5 million, about one-third of what he made with the Denver Nuggets last season. In other words, New York got a bargain, and Smith will command bigger dollars on the free-agent market.

Smith will opt-out of the final year of his contract and wants to sign a long-term deal this summer, HoopsWorld reports. He’ll have plenty of suitors, and the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers and Orlando Magic are among the interested teams.

The Knicks likely will use their mid-level exception to sign Jeremy Lin, who can sign a max deal of around $5 million, according to the report. That means New York will have a difficult time re-signing Smith.

Landry Fields, Steve Novak, Baron Davis and Jared Jeffries are other Knicks players slated to become free agents this offseason, HoopsWorld notes.