Veteran forward Richard Jefferson has found his new home. He signed a one-year contract worth $2.3 million with the Denver Nuggets after a trade that ended his tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs traded the 37-year-old to the Atlanta Hawks along with Kay Felder. The Hawks then waived Jefferson after the deal was completed.
Jefferson signs with Nuggets over Bucks
When the Atlantic Hawks waived Jefferson, it emerged that there are several teams interested in having the veteran player on their roster. One of the serious suitors was the Milwaukee Bucks, which made a couple of cuts over the weekend to clear a spot on their roster, including Gerald Green and Brandon Rush.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Jefferson and the Buck shared a mutual interest in making a deal, CBS Sports reported. He would have added a needed depth in the Bucks' wing. In addition, he also has a strong history with the Bucks coach Jason Kidd.
But as it turned out, Jefferson agreed to make a deal with the Nuggets. He expressed his interest in continuing his NBA career, and Nuggets would benefit from the added depth Jefferson could bring to the team with his veteran experience. The Nuggets is a young team aiming to reach the playoffs in the Western Conference.
RJ will always be a Cavs
The news that Jefferson and Felder were being traded to the Atlanta Hawks came out Friday. But as the deal was not yet through until Saturday, the two stayed with their Cleveland Cavaliers teammates Friday night, "talking and reminiscing." For Kevin Love, Richard will always be a Cavaliers.
He said that while they have seen many players come and go, Jefferson helped build the team’s culture in the past two seasons. RJ played with the Cavs for two seasons and was an integral part in helping the team win the 2016 championship. He averaged 5.7 points in 20 minutes per game during the 2016-17 season.
"We love RJ and we always will," Love said.
"It's never good to see a guy go like that, but it's part of the game. It's a business and we know we'll probably see him down the road."
The Cavs had to cut Jefferson to trim its roster to 15 players with guaranteed contracts after acquiring Dwyane Wade. Had the team failed to find a trade partner, they might end up waiving the veteran and paying over $10 million in luxury taxes. The deal with the Atlanta Hawks includes two second-round draft picks and a $3 million cash. The Hawks, meanwhile, gave the Cavs the European draft rights to Dimitrios Agravanis and Sergiy Gladyr.