There has been a flurry of action in the NBA this offseason as teams re-tool in an effort to improve their chances of unseating the Golden State Warriors at the reigning NBA champions. The Warriors themselves have even made some upgrades to their roster by adding Omri Cassipi and Nick Young. Yet Golden State’s Eastern Conference challengers, the Cleveland Cavaliers, have done very little so far this offseason.
The Cavs did re-sign sharp shooter Kyle Korver though, making it seem very likely that Cleveland will in large part bring back the same roster as last season. This seems even more likely now that veteran forward Richard Jefferson doesn’t plan on retiring and will be suiting for the Cavs for his third season in Cleveland this fall.
Jefferson broke the news of his return himself on his and teammate Channing Frye’s podcast, “Road Trippin’ with R.J. & Channing.” Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal transcribed Jefferson’s comments about his return.
“I will be starting my 17th season next year, I am not retiring,” Jefferson said.
Jefferson famously announced his retirement moments after the Cavs won the championship in 2016. But shortly thereafter, he changed his mind and decided to come back for his 16th season in the league. This proved to be a smart decision by Jefferson as he still had plenty left in the tank and played a small but key role in helping the Cavs get back to the Finals for the third straight year.
If Jefferson can approximate the type of production he had last season this year, he should continue to be a valuable member of the Cavs. He is 37 years old however, so Jefferson’s athleticism isn’t what it used to be. But he is a skilled combo forward and his veteran experience should be invaluable to the Cavs as they try to make it to the Finals for the fourth consecutive year next season.
