Brian Windhorst talks about how long J.R. Smith could be out once he has surgery on his right thumb and how the Cavs will adjust its lineup. (1:27)

Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith has a fractured right thumb and will need surgery, the team announced Wednesday.

The typical recovery time from such an injury is four to six weeks, but the Cavaliers said a timeline to return will be established after the surgery, which sources told ESPN's Chris Haynes will take place Friday.

Speaking later Wednesday, Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said the Smith injury doesn't mean the team will press for a trade.

"As of right now, no we haven't," Lue said before the Cavs faced the Bucks. "It just happened yesterday, and I had a chance to talk to (Cavs general manager David Griffin) a little bit before I came in here, but we haven't discussed it yet. I mean, we're a good team, still. We're 20-6, so I mean, it's no excuses.

"So I told Griff take his time. We are 20-6 and we're playing good. We're a good team. And we don't want to settle for just any point guard; we want to make sure that we have the right piece that we bring in here that could help us win a championship. That's our goal. I mean, with Griff at the helm, I know he'll get something done. He always pulls out something magical, so let him do his thing, and I just gotta to continue to coach the team with what I've got."

Lue still knows the Cavs will miss the veteran sharpshooter.

"We're going to miss J.R., his effort on defense, his tough shot making,'' he said. "But it's no excuses for us. It's next man up and we've got to be ready to play. We've got to do it by committee. I think our guys are ready to step up to the challenge.''

Smith exited the first half of Tuesday's 114-108 overtime road victory against the Bucks.

Initial X-rays taken at the Bradley Center were inconclusive. Smith traveled back to Cleveland with the team to be re-evaluated Wednesday before the Cavs hosted the Bucks on a second night of a back-to-back.

Smith, who signed a four-year, $57 million extension with Cleveland in the offseason after the Cavs' championship win, was averaging 8.8 points on 33.7 percent shooting (35.8 percent from the 3-point line) coming into Tuesday.

He previously missed five games because of knee and ankle injuries this season.

Lue was unsure of how Smith injured his thumb, however Cavs' broadcast partner Fox Sports Ohio reported it occurred when he swiped down on the Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Smith's injury is the latest and most serious medical setback for the Cavs. Kevin Love, who is having an All-Star season, missed Tuesday's game and is not expected back until Friday, when the Cavs host Brooklyn. Reserve center Chris Andersen suffered a season-ending knee injury last week in practice.

With Smith out, Lue will have to balance not overworking stars LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. James played 47 minutes and Irving 45 on Tuesday, but both played Wednesday night.

The Cavs plan to trim James' minutes in January and February, but for now, the 31-year-old is not asking to sit out. He's averaging 37.3 minutes per game, but Lue isn't worried the Cavs are overworking their superstar.

"He knows his body better than anyone,'' Lue said of James. "He's been doing this for a long time, and he said he feels great, and on nights he doesn't feel great, he won't play. He wants around 38 or 39 minutes a night and then he said in January or February we'll tailor him down. As of right now, that's the plan.''

ESPN's Dave McMenamin and Brian Windhorst and The Associated Press contributed to this report.