A championship season has convinced Richard Jefferson to hold off on retirement. The veteran forward has agreed to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers on a two-year contract, as he announced via Snapchat on Wednesday night. The deal is worth $5 million, per The Vertical's Chris Mannix.
Richard Jefferson announces he’s returning to Cavaliers on Snapchat
Instead of retiring, Jefferson is returning to Cleveland on a two-year deal.
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Sports Illustrated’s Kenny Ducey grabbed screenshots of Jefferson’s announcement.
Richard Jefferson announces on Snapchat he has signed a two-year deal with the Cavs pic.twitter.com/aVFAo3wRKr
— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) July 7, 2016
Jefferson, 36, is coming off a resurgent 2015-16 season that saw him emerge as a key contributor for the Cavaliers during the NBA Finals. There were rumors that he would retire this summer, but instead he's going to keep lacing them up in hopes of winning another title.
It took Jefferson 15 seasons to get that first ring. During Jefferson's first two seasons in the NBA, he made back-to-back trips to the Finals with the Nets, but fell short both times. It took him over a decade to get back, and now that he's teammates with LeBron James, he's going to keep pulling at that string.
Last season, Jefferson averaged 5.5 points and 1.7 rebounds in 74 regular season games with Cleveland. In 21 playoff games, he averaged 5.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He remains a potent three-point shooter and can still play solid team defense, which he showed in the postseason.
Jefferson is clearly excited, considering you don’t usually see players making major announcements on Snapchat. Naturally it’s a player in his mid-30s bringing us into this bold new future.
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