The Cleveland Cavaliers recently made a trade to reduce their luxury tax bill heading into the 2017-18 season. They dealt Richard Jefferson, Kay Felder, cash considerations and two second-round picks to the Atlanta Hawks seemingly for nothing. Atlanta went on to waive both players.
The Cavs avoid a big tax hit and Kay Felder found a new home with the Chicago Bulls. Jefferson got a hero’s farewell as he left the Cavs with former teammates filling social media with praise for him. It now appears that Richard Jefferson is also joining a new team after clearing waivers.
The 16-year veteran forward will join the Denver Nuggets on a one-year, $2.3 million deal. The Nuggets will waive former All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson after two seasons with the team.
Following comes from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Free agent forward Richard Jefferson is closing in on a one-year, $2.3M deal with the Denver Nuggets, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 16, 2017
Denver will likely waive guard Jameer Nelson to create a roster spot for Jefferson, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 16, 2017
Nelson was going to start the Nuggets season on the inactive list, presumably to make room for Jamaal Murray or Emmanuel Mudiay as the starting point guards in Denver. But completely moving on from Nelson is a bit of a shock considering how important he has been to the development of some younger talents over the years.
For Jefferson, he joins a Nuggets team in need of a reliable talent off the bench at the wing. Jefferson presumably will be the backup to Wilson Chandler to start the season as rookie Tyler Lydon and second-year forward Juancho Hernangomez continue to develop.
