I have a theory that is mostly wishful thinking but I've convinced myself is possible.
At the start of this season a lot of us figured, because this is a contract year and he's faced a lot of scrutiny over it, Smart is never going to have more incentive to improve his shooting. And then the season happened and he's as bad as he's ever been. But maybe we were thinking about it wrong.
Smart is not like other players. He doesn't need the motivation of a new contract. His problem, if anything, is too much motivation. He gets overexcited on the court and that causes a lot of his mistakes. There was a quote from Brad a few weeks ago about Smart playing too hard in practices sometimes. The last thing he needs is more motivation behind his natural will to win.
So maybe, just maybe, if he signs a 4 year deal it will give him a bit of a sense of relief and security and his shooting will actually improve. I'm not saying it will change the way he plays but even if he signs a 4yr/$40mil deal, which is on the low end of what he wants, that's the kind of guaranteed money, on top of what he's already made, that can relax a person a little bit.