Smith's Contract Move Puts His Knicks Future in Doubt J. R. Smith, the Knicks" mercurial sixth man, has declined his $2.93 million contract option for next season and will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. J.R. Smith of the Knicks has said he wants to stay, but he could find a richer deal somewhere else. The move was expected, as Smith can earn more by signing a new multiyear contract, whether with the Knicks or another team. Smith's representatives informed the Knicks of his decision on Tuesday, the deadline for picking up the option. The New Jersey-born Smith has said that he wants to stay, but he could find a richer deal elsewhere. The Knicks hold Smith's early-Bird rights and can pay him a starting salary of about $5.5 million, or a maximum of about $24.5 million over four years. A team with salary-cap room could easily exceed those figures. It remains to be seen whether any team other than the Knicks would make a major investment in Smith, given his erratic play and checkered past. Smith was named the sixth man of the year after averaging a career-best 18.1 points per game this season. But he shot terribly (33.1 percent) in the playoffs, reverting to bad habits that included poor shot selection. He also served a one-game suspension for throwing an elbow into the chin of Boston's Jason Terry, undermining Smith's season-long campaign to promote a more mature image. Also on Tuesday, the Knicks extended so-called qualifying offers to Chris Copeland and Pablo Prigioni, making both restricted free agents. Although the restricted tag allows the Knicks to match any offer, they are still at risk of losing both players. As a team that is over the cap and the luxury-tax threshold, the Knicks have only the mini-midlevel exception, $3.18 million, to spend. They can use it on one player or split it among several. But they could easily be outbid by a team with the full midlevel exception, which is worth $5.15 million, or a team with cap room.