Cleveland Cavaliers forward Richard Jefferson received some surprising news Friday when he learned that Quicken Loans Arena would no longer be his home. He was sent to the Atlanta Hawks in a trade that would later lead to him being waived into free agency.
Jefferson, who considered retirement more than once, isn’t quite ready to leave and has his sights set on remaining in the league even after he is placed on waivers.
The 37-year-old forward has always had every intention of playing this season out, and that has not changed according to The Vertical’s Chris Mannix.
Releasing Richard Jefferson and Kay Felder cut the Cavs’ roster down to the required maximum of 15 players just in time for opening night, where they feel the roster is solid enough to move forward.
The move wasn’t a total shock as the Cavs had previously discussed with Jefferson’s agent the roster situation and the possibility of his client no longer representing the wine and gold in the near future. This is just one of the many ripples that have come as a result of acquiring Dwyane Wade in free agency.
Richard Jefferson was set to make $2.5 million after considering retirement this summer but decided to finish out the season because he still has some basketball left in the tank going into his 17th year.
Last season Jefferson averaged 5.7 points and 2.6 rebounds in 20.4 minutes per game, coming off the bench.