Richard Jefferson Opts out!?

[Andy Jick]

Ilya Kovalchuk must have called RJ and gave him some friendly advice...

...the offseason of dumbness continues.

Yup it's even come to the NHL now.  What a dumb deal signing for 17 years.  Who would want to be tied up that long and what team would want to tie someone up that long. 

Obviously the Devils and Kovlachuk lol, but you know what I mean.

I honestly didn't think it could get any dumber than when Rick DiPietro signed that really long contract...and now this. 

But anyway...  If you're Richard Jefferson, I'm not sure if you fire your agent or you go dunk your own head in a toilet.  Why wait all this time?  This is a decision you make early in the FA season when there's more money to be found.  This just strikes me as a really stupid decision all the way around...

[Mike-Dub]

Ilya Kovalchuk must have called RJ and gave him some friendly advice...

...the offseason of dumbness continues.

Yup it's even come to the NHL now.  What a dumb deal signing for 17 years.  Who would want to be tied up that long and what team would want to tie someone up that long. 

Obviously the Devils and Kovlachuk lol, but you know what I mean.

I honestly didn't think it could get any dumber than when Rick DiPietro signed that really long contract...and now this. 

But anyway...  If you're Richard Jefferson, I'm not sure if you fire your agent or you go dunk your own head in a toilet.  Why wait all this time?  This is a decision you make early in the FA season when there's more money to be found.  This just strikes me as a really stupid decision all the way around...

How bout both lol fire your agent and dunk your head in a toilet.

[jdpapa3]

4 years 39 million. 

[Fafnir]

4 years 39 million. 

So they reduced his salary by what 7 million in the first year and gave him 24 million in new money?

Yikes!

[Cman]

4 years 39 million. 

So... not a bad move by RJ to opt out and resign.  He got himself $25M more and 3 years extra, and peace of mind.

[jdpapa3]

4 years 39 million. 

So... not a bad move by RJ to opt out and resign.  He got himself $25M more and 3 years extra, and peace of mind.

No kidding. We all thought he was insane at the time. Turns out it might be the Spurs that are. Who were they bidding against at this point?

[Who]

4 years 39 million. 

So they reduced his salary by what 7 million in the first year and gave him 24 million in new money?

Yikes!

That is a ridiculous contract. Richard Jefferson is not even worth the full MLE anymore. He should be getting Steve Blake money.

[jdpapa3]

They better hope Splitter is good enough to re-open their window. Or they will be like a 10 year sinking ship...crazy.

[the_Bird]

They better hope Splitter is good enough to re-open their window. Or they will be like a 10 year sinking ship...crazy.

I think I'm more interested to see Splitter this year than any of the other rookies not named Avery Bradley.  They've been talking about this kid for what, five years?  Six? 

Guess this contract shows that Spurs management isn't infallible.   I might have thought that perhaps the Spurs were competing against the Nets, maybe NJ would like to bring Jefferson back, but they already signed Travis Outlaw and have Courtney Lee and a few other interesting wings on the roster.  Besides, there were indications early on that Jefferson wasn't much more of a free agent than Paul Pierce was; I'm thinking he and the Spurs already had a ballpark figure in mind before he opted out.

[Brendan]

Ugh... what are they thinking... many better options in terms of fit, talent, and value.

[moiso]

Jefferson is at best an average starter.  That's not average money.  Strange move by the Spurs.

[Chris]

4 years 39 million. 

So they reduced his salary by what 7 million in the first year and gave him 24 million in new money?

Yikes!

Why yikes?  I know he struggled last year, but he is still a very good player. He just turned 30, and last year was the first season he averaged less than 15 points per game since his rookie year.  He is still an excellent defender, and a very good rebounder for a wing.  Considering the kind of money that has been flying around this summer, this is one of the most reasonable deals I have seen. 

[More Banners]

Well, he IS the best SF they've had in, like, 15 years.  Doesn't seem unreasonable.

[kozlodoev]

Well, he IS the best SF they've had in, like, 15 years.  Doesn't seem unreasonable.

Some guy named Emanuel Ginobili disagrees strongly with you.

[Who]

4 years 39 million. 

So they reduced his salary by what 7 million in the first year and gave him 24 million in new money?

Yikes!

Why yikes?  I know he struggled last year, but he is still a very good player. He just turned 30, and last year was the first season he averaged less than 15 points per game since his rookie year.  He is still an excellent defender, and a very good rebounder for a wing.  Considering the kind of money that has been flying around this summer, this is one of the most reasonable deals I have seen. 

Richard Jefferson is not a good rebounder -- his rebounding rates for the last four years are 7.2% + 6.2% + 7.5% + 8.3% which are very poor for a small forward.

Jefferson was a quality rebounder when he was younger (three years at 10.2-to-10.7%) but those days have long since passed.