Wojnarowski: Jefferson eyes Knicks, Nets

[Creation88]

I think there's one thing everyone can agree on. Richard Jefferson is not worth all this trouble. That guy is a diva.

correct if i'm wrong but wasn't it just yesterday that you wanted him here?

[jag]

correct if i'm wrong but wasn't it just yesterday that you wanted him here?

You have the mind of a child...a really slow, mentally challenged child.

Simply put:

-RJ > no RJ and nothing in return
-RJ > Hairston, Gee, jerrells, james jones or whichever unnamed d-league scrub you're convinced can give you 12+ and 5 every game
-RJ has his faults, but by simple math, a SF is better than no SF. 1 > 0
-Just because i'd like to see him back doesn't mean he's worth all this fuss. This is Richard Jefferson, not Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili.

[Creation88]

You have the mind of a child...a really slow, mentally challenged child.

Simply put:

-RJ > no RJ and nothing in return
-RJ > Hairston, Gee, jerrells, james jones or whichever unnamed d-league scrub you're convinced can give you 12+ and 5 every game
-RJ has his faults, but by simple math, a SF is better than no SF. 1 > 0
-Just because i'd like to see him back doesn't mean he's worth all this fuss. This is Richard Jefferson, not Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili.

he's a diva but you want him back? that's mentally challenged if i've ever heard of it. you think he's not worth the trouble yet you want him here at the same time?

make up your mind.

chemistry is BETTER w/o Jefferson. Period.

[Mugen]

I think there's one thing everyone can agree on. Richard Jefferson is not worth all this trouble. That guy is a diva.

i think the only thing everyone can agree on is that Creation88 needs some ing reading comprehension skills.

[jag]

he's a diva but you want him back? that's mentally challenged if i've ever heard of it. you think he's not worth the trouble yet you want him here at the same time?

make up your mind.

chemistry is BETTER w/o Jefferson. Period.

Chemistry is better when teams have a SF.

[Thomas82]

The only player I like from NJ is Damion James

Like I said a few times, I'm partial to Derrick Favors myself, and we do need another big to compliment Tim Duncan. Plus I don't think the Nets plan to keep him anyway. If they can get Amare or Boozer, I think that increases their chances of trading him. IMO, the Spurs need to see what it would take to get his rights from New Jersey.

[Agloco]

Trade exceptions are valid for up to 365 days after the trade. So it could be used right away or kept for later in the season or even after the season.

Main rule is that the salary of a player acquired with a TE must fit into the amount of the TE plus 100K.

So, if the Spurs get a 6.1M TE in an RJ trade, they can acquire a player from another team whose 2010-11 salary is no more than 6.2M.

Spurs would try to find players that may not be wanted by their current team because of salary or fit or both. That 6.1M TE could get you Mo Petersen (6.2M), but not James Posey (6.5M), for example.

You also can't combine two smaller TEs to get one higher priced player.

Can you split it?

Say as in the above example the Spurs get 6.1mil for RJ, can they then go out and get one player at, say, 2.5 and another at 3.7?

Sorry, gotta be the math nit. 2.5 + 3.7 = 6.2, so it wouldn't be possible.

It's quite complicated so I won't flame ya. Yeah theres an additional 100k that you have to play with.

[Creation88]

Chemistry is better when teams have a SF.

positions in the NBA are a formality. Jefferson played outta position for most of the season anyway. Duncan played center. big deal.

[Seventyniner]

It's quite complicated so I won't flame ya. Yeah theres an additional 100k that you have to play with.

I appreciate it.

I thought that both the 10% and 100k stuff only applied when both teams were over the cap; I didn't think TEs were subject to those rules (looks like TEs can be off up to 100k, but the 10% rule doesn't apply).

[MaNu4Tres]

I want to see why you think long-term RJ is good for the Spurs. I just don't see it.

1) Finding a better piece is really hard to find.

Which I've stated here:

Trading Richard Jefferson's contract for a "better fit" is virtually impossible to do.

There's less than a handful of guys out there to begin with that are a great fit for the Spurs. Three criteria exists for such a player IMO:
1) Defensive oriented- great one on one perimeter defender
2) Can hit the three with consistency
3) Long enough to be as effective guarding the longer, taller wings in the league such as( Melo, Durant, LeBron, Roy, Kobe, Joe Johnson ect.)

Wings 6'7 and above (exception Lee)on the top of my head that exhibit one criteria (defensive oriented):In order IMO

1. Thabo Sefolosha
2. Luc Mbah a Moute
3. Trevor Ariza
4. Gerald Wallace
5. Shane Battier
6. Stephen Jackson
7. Courtney Lee
8. Nicolas Batum
9. Ronnie Brewer
10. Martell Webster

Now you filter those guys into the category: Can spread the floor by shooting the 3 ball with consistency.

1. Thabo Sefolosha (barely)
3. Trevor Ariza
5. Shane Battier
6. Stephen Jackson
7. Courtney Lee
8. Nicolas Batum
10. Martell Webster

Now lets see how available these 7 guys are:

1. Thabo Sefolosha- Signed a very cheap-valued extension with the Thunder that runs through 2014. Virtually impossible to pry away from Thunder. Only makes roughly 3 million a year. Virtually untouchable.
2. Trevor Ariza- IMO was underpaid by the Rockets with the MLE. Highly doubt Rockets are looking to trade him due to his relatively cheap contract for the amount of production he puts on the court on both ends. Most likely not available
3. Shane Battier - Could be available at the trade deadline if Rockets aren't in contention due to his expiring contract. Won't know his availability til mid-February. Even so it's less likely Morey gives such a valuable piece to a division rival.
4. Stephen Jackson- Leading the Bobcats to the playoffs for the first time makes him virtually untouchable being owned by Jordan's compe ive spirit, unless Bobcats are the Nets of the league by the trading deadline. Then Bobcats may consider parting ways with their long-term expensive contracts. (Won't know his availability til mid-February)
5. Courtney Lee - Still on a very cheap rookie scale salary. His productivity output surpasses his salary by a wide margin. Making his availability less likely.
6. Nicolas Batum- See above
7. Martell Webster- Has a contract that pays him 4.8 next year and 5.2 the next with a team option for the 3rd year in 2013. Could be trade-able with the improvement of Batum, if they draft a wing with the 22nd pick. They were interested in Jefferson at the 2009 trading deadline. Jefferson plus 20th pick for Webster+Pryzbilla's expiring(player value insignificant with torn patella tendon)+ maybe Fernandez or Cunningham may get the Blazers to think for at least a second. (Possibly available)

As you can see there's virtually no "better fit's" out there that are realistically possible for the Spurs to attain.

All in all, Spurs fan's underestimated the value Bruce Bowen brought to the Spurs. He was a key component in the efficient well-oiled machine on both ends of the court that lasted from 2003 to 2008. Looking for such a player will be virtually impossible to attain.


IMO With this reasoning Spurs are better off keeping Jefferson. Perhaps a summer with Chip can do wonders for his confidence and revitalize the 40% clip he shot from the distance with the Bucks just a year ago.


In regard of the thread...



3. The improvement of Richard Jefferson. Sick Chip Engelland on him the entire summer and revamp his confidence. A more consistent Jefferson on the offensive end would do wonders for his overall hustle and activity on the defensive end.

2) The trade exception won't guarantee the Spurs a replacement at SF. To be honest pretty much the only realistic options for BOTH sides that actually makes the Spurs better are Corey Brewer, Michael Pietrus, Martell Webster( to a degree) and maybe Kellen Azubuke. Francisco Garcia and James Posey are possible, but I don't think the Spurs will be willing to use the trade exceptions on an overpaid player for multiple years in Garcia(which would be more of a gamble). And I don't think they would use their trade exception on a 33 year old, who has played like he's 38 the past 2 seasons. Not to mention paying him for two more seasons.

There is no guarantee the Spurs can accomoddate this vital need at the SF position via trading exception.


3) Last year was perhaps the worst year we will see from Jefferson (in terms of picture perfect Bruce Bowen-like fit), he has shown he has the capability to be a legitimate threat from 3. This aspect will do wonders for the team as a whole and for himself, if he improves on it. ( which he should because it was totally non-existent the last 3 months of the year; any progress would help.) I personally think he can improve on the aspects to improve the team as a whole. I've seen it from him in the past, which makes me believe it is possible.

4) 8-9 million dollars per year is great value for the player Jefferson is, even if he wasn't the picture perfect fit for the Spurs. He has proved in his past he has the ability to be a great fit by shooting 40% from three in 292 attempts just a year ago. Spurs aren't going to find a better player with the LLE. And counting on the trade exception to net a better fit is like betting on the 00 on the roulette wheel. ( It's a far fetched gamble at best to get the other side to agree on letting go of a player that fits the Spurs the best.) Resigning Jefferson would guarantee the Spurs a viable option at the small forward position and gives the Spurs a better chance to compete for the championship the next 2 seasons. This also still saves Holt mucho dinero for the upcoming season.

FWIW(Spurs just paid around 9 million this year on Mason/Bogans and Finley; and Spurs paid Barry, Udoka and Finley this same amount 2 years before the last two seasons.)

5)

People really under rate the production he brought to the Spurs as the 4th option.

Sure he wasn't the "picture perfect fit", and sure he didn't average the 20 points he averaged in Milwaukee, but those 20 points per game was impossible to produce with the scarce amount of opportunities he had playing behind the big 3.

Even if he was the 4th option, he still scored in double digits in 58 games last year (more than 15 points per game in 32 outings). And was instrumental in many victories, even in the playoffs.

About his defense, I know he wasn't Bruce Bowen on the defensive end, but the guy showed progress as the season progressed; not so much on the ball, but off the ball; especially in putting in the effort and contesting shots around the rim more effectively than any big man outside of Duncan. I'm not saying he was Dikembe Mutombo by any means; but he was progressively active in this regard, especially in the last few months of the season.

Overall saying he didn't do anything is foolish to say.

Without him the Spurs would have more than likely been a lottery team this past year. Fact is R.J gets too much of the blame for the Spurs' disappointing year. He was not the reason why the Spurs rubbed one out, so to speak.

There were other reasons why the Spurs failed when it was all said and done. Most notably, the lack of having an established clear cut 5th wing ( part of it was Pop's fault) and the lack of interior defense that doomed the Spurs in the end. Not so much Jefferson.

Pop stubbornly made the wrong choice for the team by investing in the wrong players (Mason, Bogans) all damn year. Even when these two players were atrocious for the last 3 months of the season, Pop didn't budge and stubbornly played the law of averages game. In the end, Pop put the team in a very vulnerable position from a depth standpoint by stubbornly giving Mason and Bogans the responsibility as the 5th wing. It made no sense to do this and still doesn't til this day.

As a result of Mason and Bogans maintaining their atrocious status, the Spurs back court and Jefferson were forced way too many minutes and it showed in their 4th quarter execution down the stretch ( even in the Dallas series ).

Pop should have given more responsibility and prepared Hairston or Temple somewhere in the last 2 months of the regular season, when Mason and Bogans were consistently horrid. (Believe it or not, Hairston and Temple had more productive minutes than Mason and Bogans did all season; even if they played less minutes. )

If Hairston or Temple would have panned out as a 5th wing, Spurs could have stretched their bench enough, which would've given Manu more gas at the end of games to " go for the throat", and Hill wouldn't have had as big of a responsibility offensively ( because of Manu and Tony having less but more efficient minutes, and more efficient touches). But Pop was too stubborn to find this out.

By no means am I blaming the year on Popovich, but he certainly could have made different decisions in regards of the rotation that could have put the Spurs in a better position to compete in the playoffs. Many people just point at R.J and blame him. I couldn't disagree more.

Hopefully now Splitter can come in to help the interior defense and hopefully Spurs can find a respectable replacement for R.J via trade ( less likely) or for the LLE. If not then I hope Hairston, Gee and Anderson are ready to contribute.

All in all, (worst case scenario) Spurs will have Jefferson for the next 3 years and because of his 4th year essentially being his expiring contract year ( because of the 5th year being non-guaranteed), Spurs can then use his valuable expiring in 3 years to add a player for the future, whenever that time comes. *For example, Spurs could trade Jefferson's expiring for another expiring and a decent prospect at a relative cheap price.

Just because Spurs may resign him for 5 years/45 million (last year non-guaranteed) doesn't necessarily mean Spurs are locked with him til the end. It's not like he is getting payed Gay or Joe Johnson money. 9-11 million should be a lot easier to move if the worst case scenario transpires.

All these reasons are the reasons why I think this is the best move for the Spurs. Without Jefferson, Spurs will be left with a trade exception (best case scenario), a sign and trade -netting a player that's worse than Jefferson, or the LLE to fill a vital role on the Spurs. And these situations doesn't necessarily guarantee talent in return for the Spurs.

Re-signing Jefferson does guarantee necessary talent to compete for a le, even if he isn't a picture perfect fit, he is more than likely the best the Spurs can acquire.

[BobEX]

Really hope the Spurs don't resign RJ. Last season was a huge disappointment. A sign & trade would be fantastic, but even if the Spurs get nothing and have to go with the LLE or a D-leaguer at least they wouldn't be stuck with RJ for another 3 - 5 years.

[Brazil]

1) Finding a better piece is really hard to find.

Which I've stated here:


2) The trade exception won't guarantee the Spurs a replacement at SF. To be honest pretty much the only realistic options for BOTH sides that actually makes the Spurs better are Corey Brewer, Michael Pietrus, Martell Webster( to a degree) and maybe Kellen Azubuke. Francisco Garcia and James Posey are possible, but I don't think the Spurs will be willing to use the trade exceptions on an overpaid player for multiple years in Garcia(which would be more of a gamble). And I don't think they would use their trade exception on a 33 year old, who has played like he's 38 the past 2 seasons. Not to mention paying him for two more seasons.

There is no guarantee the Spurs can accomoddate this vital need at the SF position via trading exception.


3) Last year was perhaps the worst year we will see from Jefferson (in terms of picture perfect Bruce Bowen-like fit), he has shown he has the capability to be a legitimate threat from 3. This aspect will do wonders for the team as a whole and for himself, if he improves on it. ( which he should because it was totally non-existent the last 3 months of the year; any progress would help.) I personally think he can improve on the aspects to improve the team as a whole. I've seen it from him in the past, which makes me believe it is possible.

4) 8-9 million dollars per year is great value for the player Jefferson is, even if he wasn't the picture perfect fit for the Spurs. He has proved in his past he has the ability to be a great fit by shooting 40% from three in 292 attempts just a year ago. Spurs aren't going to find a better player with the LLE. And counting on the trade exception to net a better fit is like betting on the 00 on the roulette wheel. ( It's a far fetched gamble at best to get the other side to agree on letting go of a player that fits the Spurs the best.) Resigning Jefferson would guarantee the Spurs a viable option at the small forward position and gives the Spurs a better chance to compete for the championship the next 2 seasons. This also still saves Holt mucho dinero for the upcoming season.

FWIW(Spurs just paid around 9 million this year on Mason/Bogans and Finley; and Spurs paid Barry, Udoka and Finley this same amount 2 years before the last two seasons.)

5)

All in all, (worst case scenario) Spurs will have Jefferson for the next 3 years and because of his 4th year essentially being his expiring contract year ( because of the 5th year being non-guaranteed), Spurs can then use his valuable expiring in 3 years to add a player for the future, whenever that time comes. Spurs could trade Jefferson expiring for another expiring and a decent prospect at a relative cheap price for example.

Just because Spurs may resign him for 5 years/45 million (last year non-guaranteed) doesn't necessarily mean Spurs are locked with him til the end. It's not like he is getting payed Gay or Joe Johnson money. 9-11 million should be a lot easier to move if the worst case scenario transpires.

All these reasons are the reasons why I think this is the best move for the Spurs. Without Jefferson, Spurs will be left with a trade exception (best case scenario), a sign and trade -netting a player that's worse than Jefferson, or the LLE to fill a vital role on the Spurs. And both situations don't necessarily guarantee the Spurs talent with these options.

Re-signing Jefferson does guarantee necessary talent to compete for a le, even if he isn't a picture perfect fit, he is more than likely the best the Spurs can acquire.

Manu4tres FTW

[Vito Corleone]

I personally would rather try and work a 3 team deal with maybe Atlanta where we get Josh Childress in return. If we can do that for around 6 or 7 million a year and Atlanta gets someone that will help them from either NY or NJ. That to me would be ideal.

Maybe we can do the same thing with Utah for AK-47.

[Vito Corleone]

I personally would rather try and work a 3 team deal with maybe Atlanta where we get Josh Childress in return. If we can do that for around 6 or 7 million a year and Atlanta gets someone that will help them from either NY or NJ. That to me would be ideal.

Maybe we can do the same thing with Utah for AK-47.

[rayray2k8]

WojYahooNBA

Spurs and Richard Jefferson's agent have discussed a new deal, but nothing in works. RJ would love return to NY-area, but NJ not interested.

[ace3g]

Adrian Wojnarowski WojYahooNBA

Spurs and Richard Jefferson's agent have discussed a new deal, but nothing in works. RJ would love return to NY-area, but NJ not interested.

[MaNu4Tres]

I personally would rather try and work a 3 team deal with maybe Atlanta where we get Josh Childress in return. If we can do that for around 6 or 7 million a year and Atlanta gets someone that will help them from either NY or NJ. That to me would be ideal.

Maybe we can do the same thing with Utah for AK-47.

You do realize that is a far-fetched scenario for that to transpire (for all 3 teams agreeing on the deal).


Passing on Jefferson and telling him he is not good enough and then hoping for a far fetched trade is pretty dumb basketball move to make. IMO

[Mel_13]

Adrian Wojnarowski WojYahooNBA

Spurs and Richard Jefferson's agent have discussed a new deal, but nothing in works. RJ would love return to NY-area, but NJ not interested.

IF:

1. RJ did not have a prearranged deal with Spurs.

And IF:

2. RJ can't drum up interest from a team with cap space

THEN:

3. His best deal from a team other than the Spurs would be the MLE (5/34). In that case, the Spurs may very well be able to retain RJ on a team friendly deal around 4/30 or a little less.

[TheProfessor]

So it's NY or bust for Jefferson. Which means we get to play the waiting game while NY busts on every major free agent.

[benefactor]

Well that settles that. Perhaps the Knicks now that Johnson isn't interested?

[MaNu4Tres]

I don't understand why the Knicks would want Jefferson.

They have two intriguing prospects at small forward in Gallinari and Chandler.

Jefferson is not good enough to spend 8-9 million a year, when they have Gallinari and Chandler there for a fraction of the price. That is bad basketball economics to add significant salary to an already set position.

Only way they'd sign a small forward is if it was LeBron. IMO

I'm willing to bet Jefferson sticks with SA.

[Mel_13]

I don't understand why the Knicks would want Jefferson.

They have two intriguing prospects at small forward in Gallinari and Chandler.

Jefferson is not good enough to spend 8-9 million a year when they have Gallinari and Chandler there for a fraction of the price.

Only way they'd sign a small forward is if it was LeBron.

I agree.

Hard to see any of the teams with cap space making a big push for RJ. He could be left looking for MLE offers.

[tim_duncan_fan]

I'm willing to bet Jefferson sticks with SA.

Yep. We're stuck with him.

[slick'81]

so no one wants him i guess were stuck?!?!

[MaNu4Tres]

I agree.

Hard to see any of the teams with cap space making a big push for RJ. He could be left looking for MLE offers.

Spurs can use that as leverage and maybe Spurs already know that, which is why no deal is in place yet via Yahoo. ( Meaning Spurs might have offered R.J a less expensive deal.)