OCTOBER 14, 9:50am: The trade is now official, according to a press release issued by the Hawks. As detailed below, Atlanta receives Jefferson, Felder, cash ($3MM), and second-round picks in 2019 and 2020 in exchange for the rights to Agravanis and Gladyr.
Interestingly, the 2020 second-rounder is Portland’s pick. The protection on that selection is 31-55, meaning there’s a good chance it won’t actually change hands.
OCTOBER 13, 5:37pm: A Wojnarowski report at ESPN clarifies that the 2019 pick heading to Atlanta will be the lesser of the Timberwolves’ and Lakers’ picks that had been owed to Cleveland.
The Hawks will also receive $3MM in the deal, which is agreed upon in principle. That cash will cover Jefferson’s full salary and Felder’s partial guarantee.
4:57pm: The Cavaliers and Hawks are in advanced talks on a deal that would send Richard Jefferson and Kay Felder to Atlanta, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports.
Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, also involved in the deal will be the draft rights to a European player (Cleveland-bound), a pair of future second-round picks (Atlanta-bound) and cash (also heading to Atlanta).
Although the deal has not been finalized, Sam Amick of USA Today has tweeted that it will be Dimitrios Agravanis and Sergiy Gladyr in particular that will be heading to Ohio. Agravanis was the No. 59 pick in 2015, Gladyr the No. 49 pick in 2009.
Amick also tweets that the second-round picks going from Cleveland to Atlanta will be a 2019 pick and a 2020 pick. The Cavs have previously traded their own second-rounders in both years, but have acquired extra picks that they’ll use in this deal.
Per Wojnarowski, the Hawks plan to waive Jefferson and likely Felder too. Chris Mannix of The Vertical tweets that Jefferson has no plans to retire, but the 37-year-old will be ineligible to re-sign with Cleveland this season if he’s waived by Atlanta.
The Cavs have been hard-pressed to unload a guaranteed contract ever since they signed Dwyane Wade after his buyout from the Bulls. Shedding both Jefferson and Felder will bump the team down to 15 guaranteed deals and, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN, save the franchise as much as $12.8MM in luxury tax penalties.
Also, as Marks notes, the deal will create a pair of trade exceptions for Cleveland, one worth $2.6MM and another worth $1.4MM.
The Hawks can get to $4.9MM under the cap, enough to eat both Jefferson and Felder’s deals. While the two are signed to modest contracts, they both include guarantees — Jefferson’s is a full guarantee, while Felder’s is only partial.
In summary, Atlanta took advantage of available cap space and managed to procure a pair of second-round picks simply by eating two relatively minor contracts. Those additional draft choices will bode the franchise well as it embarks on its rebuild.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
What is Jefferson going to do for the Hawks?
Unless, he is willing to bring along DeAndre’ Bembry, then he could help.
Otherwise, Jefferson could help the Sixers in my opinion
He would be a good influence for the Sixer locker room
Jefferson will be waived. That detail was among the many updates that came out after the Charania tweet.
Okay, thank you.
Jefferson could do a lot of good for almost any team. Could be a veteran voice in the locker room for most teams and his production is passable enough at his age. He’s not going to win a team any games, but he’s a passable defender and is solid enough from 3. Pelicans make sense for me too since they always seem to need wing players.
Someone’s getting a contributor for even cheaper than from a direct trade. Minn, N.O., Phx, Den, Mem
Would love to see RJ join the Heat. We could use some depth after the McGruder injury.
I could probably see him join the Thunder or even the Rockets.. he’s gonna target playoff teams for sure… or maybe even the Twolves
I’d like to see RJ in Boston, doubtful I know, but wouldn’t mind seeing it happen
Thanks for the title RJ. Lot of cavs fans sad to see you go. Best wishes.
What does this do at all for the Hawks?
Free 2019 draft pick, basically (since Cavs are sending them enough cash to cover Jefferson’s and Felder’s guarantees).
He’s going to retire he wanted to retire two years ago. Once he’s waived he will hang out for a year and retire after that last paycheck. He may continue the podcast and just be an advisor for the cavs.
“Hang out”? He was basically the enforcer. Which admittedly he’s not ideal for, but there was nobody else on the Cavs for that, and now there isn’t him either.
They should’ve sent Shump along with Felder. RJ is more valuable in the playoffs than Shump…
A perspective from someone who can’t be bothered to learn basic rules of trading. How crucial.
Stinks to be Jefferson. You go from a bonafide contender to the Hawks.
He should just hang it up. I mean, how old is this guy? Seems like he’s been in the NBA for 30 years, and played for every team.