Cleveland Cavaliers: Acquiring Richard Jefferson?

The Cleveland Cavaliers have brought back most of their Finals run roster, with notable exclusions being J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson, both of whom the Cavs will still try and pick back up at the ideal price.

Until then, it looks as though Richard Jefferson is closing in on a one-year minimum deal with the Cavs. Funnily enough, Jefferson had said that he would re-sign with the Mavericks earlier this summer, and has only recently changed his mind.

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He’s the anti-DeAndre Jordan. And he was on Dallas. Perfect.

Anyway, the 35-year-old Jefferson is clearly ring-chasing at this point, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be effective. Certainly he’d be more help than Shawn Marion was last season.

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He averaged 5.8 points and 2.5 rebounds on 44.4 percent shooting from the field and 42.6 percent shooting from deep (although he only took 2.1 three-point attempts per game). He played an average of 16.8 minutes a night for the Mavs, suiting up for 74 games and starting 18 of them.

He’ll add depth on the wing to an already fairly deep backcourt. Jefferson is a 14-year NBA vet, and he knows some things. He can bring experience as well while still being able to go out and actually make something happen on the floor, rather than just talking up his teammates.

Here’s what Cleveland’s depth looks like at the moment (with * meaning players that will likely be brought in/back):

PG: Kyrie Irving, Mo Williams, *Matthew Dellavedova
SG: Iman Shumpert, Joe Harris, *J.R. Smith
SF: LeBron James, Mike Miller, *Richard Jefferson
PF: Kevin Love, *Tristan Thompson
C: Timofey Mozgov, Anderson Varejao, Brendan Haywood

If that is indeed how the final roster pans out, the Cavs are looking at a deep roster with arguably the best starting five in the league. Having a Big Three of Kyrie, Love and James alone is a load to deal with. Throw in the capable likes of Thompson, Smith, Williams, etc. and Cleveland looks primed for a repeat run at The Finals.

Jefferson would likely be coming off the bench before fellow small forward Miller, just because he can provide a little more than the three-point sniper at this stage in their respective careers. He’s not a piece that will push the team over the edge, but like most of their other free agent signings, he’s a cog that fits in with the larger machine.

This will be Jefferson’s fifth team over the past five seasons. He’ll be looking to lay it all on the line with thoughts of retirement floating around his mind. There are always a few players like this hovering about the league every year, trying to win one more (or their first) chip before retirement, when money is no longer the first thing on their minds.

We saw it with Tracy McGrady and the Spurs a couple seasons ago, for example, then most recently with Marion on the Cavs. You’re never quite sure how much production you’re going to be able to get out of these sorts of players, but the experience and will to win is almost always there. It’s a chance worth taking.

All in all, Jefferson will be a cheap pick up for a team that’s already going to be paying a ton of money in luxury tax alone. And any little push toward a title is appreciated for a franchise so desperate to win.

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