The Richard Jefferson era in Cleveland has come and gone after the Cavaliers traded Jefferson to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday. Ultimately, the Cavaliers needed a roster spot for Dwyane Wade, and unfortunately, Jefferson was the odd man out.
The on-court impact of Jefferson leaving the Cavaliers deserves its own discussion at some point, but at 37-years old, it’s conceivable that the off-court impact Jefferson had on the team was a lot more important. Jefferson’s excellent presence in the Cavs locker room culminated in the creation of the Road Trippin’ podcast featuring Jefferson, teammate Channing Frye, and Fox Sports Ohio reporter Allie Clifton.
Through 50 episodes of Road Trippin’, Jefferson, Frye, and Clifton brought Cavaliers fans closer to an NBA locker room than anything we’ve ever seen before, with everything from in-depth basketball conversations to impromptu guest appearances by random Cavaliers employees. It was equal parts unique and terrific.
With Jefferson’s NBA future in doubt, fans of Road Trippin’ couldn’t help but speculate what his trade to Atlanta meant for the future of the podcast. For as good as Allie Clifton and Channing Frye are, so much of the podcast’s success fell on Jefferson’s shoulders, and it’d be tough to replicate the show without him.
Jefferson, Frye, and Clifton announced that they were recording a live episode of Road Trippin’ on Saturday morning at Homage in Cleveland, and during the show, they answered a few questions about the future of everyone’s favorite NBA podcast.
RECORDING STARTS AT 4 PM. (@HOMAGE – CROCKER PARK) 🚨 RECORDING STARTS AT 4 PM.
(235 Main St Westlake, OH 44145) 🚨RECORDING STARTS AT 4 PM!— Road Trippin’ Show🎧 (@RoadTrippinPod) October 14, 2017
The live show opened with Clifton making sure fans knew that Road Trippin’ wasn’t going anywhere. As for Jefferson’s future on the podcast, that part is very much up in the air. The good news is, Jefferson is making Road Trippin’ a priority no matter where he lands next.
Allie Clifton said @RoadTrippinPod will continue with herself and Channing.
— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) October 14, 2017
Richard Jefferson: “whenever I go, it’s contingent on them letting me do Road Trippin’”
— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) October 14, 2017
“Letting me do” is different from hosting every week, but we’ll give Jefferson a pass on his vague response. He was only traded on Friday, after all. If Jefferson can’t host the show every week, Clifton and Frye are already working on a replacement.
Allie is trying to bribe Isaiah Thomas with @Homage shirts to take a hosting role on Road Trippin’.
RJ: “you guys got any kid mediums?”
— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) October 14, 2017
Richard Jefferson always had the jokes. This is ultimately good news for fans of Road Trippin’, but it’s going to be interesting to see if Clifton, Frye, and Jefferson can produce the same quality show if they’re in different NBA cities. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
