Cavs Confirm They Are Trying To Trade Richard Jefferson, Might Waive The Veteran
The Cleveland Cavaliers are still trying to trade Richard Jefferson, and if no deal can be made, they may simply waive the 37-year-old veteran. The Cavs need to let one player go as they currently have 16 players under guaranteed contract on their roster.
Speculation emerged last week that Jefferson was likely the odd man out after the Cavs signed Dwyane Wade. The team is allowed only 15 players on October 17 when the regular NBA season opens. While it will cost the team a huge amount of luxury tax, Jefferson is on his way out. Adrian Wojnarowski confirmed on ESPN’s The Jump on Tuesday that the Cavaliers were attempting to trade Richard. If they fail to find a trade partner for the small forward, they will end up waiving his contract, Wojnarowski added, via 247 Sports.
He has a $2.5 million one-year contract with the Cavs. Waiving Jefferson will be expensive for the team, amounting to about $10.5 million in luxury taxes. According to Cleveland.com, the club is already $18.6 million over the luxury tax line. The Cavs and Jefferson’s agent reportedly have also held preliminary discussions about the roster situation, but no decision has been made yet. Jefferson is entering his 17th season. He had been considering retirement over the past two offseasons.
The Cavs have spoken to Richard Jefferson’s agent about his roster spot (@cwmwrites) https://t.co/oWr6phvMJg pic.twitter.com/yCdqCncTEP
— FearTheSword (@FearTheSword) October 5, 2017
No reports yet as to which teams are interested in acquiring Jefferson or which organization the Cavs are having discussions with about the veteran player. King James Gospel looked into five teams that should make a deal to trade Richard, which included the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Minnesota Timberwolves. Jefferson can bring depth to these team and even help them become a contender for the championship.
Aside from Jefferson, another player who may be released is Channing Frye, who makes $7.3 million this year. However, it would be too expensive for the Cleveland Cavaliers to cut the 34-year-old. Second-year player Kay Felder is also on the trading block after the Cavs signed Jose Calderon and acquired Derrick Rose. The team also signed rookie Cedi Osman, 22, from Turkey, but they have no interest in trading him now.
[Featured Image by Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images]
