The trade officially went down on Saturday: Richard Jefferson was traded from Cleveland to Atlanta, along with Kay Felder, for a couple of second-round picks in what was a salary dump move by the Cavaliers.
As soon as the Hawks got Jefferson, they waived him and ate his $2.5 million contract. That will make Jefferson an unrestricted free agent when he clears waivers.
The young Milwaukee Bucks look like a team who want to add a veteran to their locker room and are making a big push for Jefferson, reports Adrian Wojnarowski and Dave McMenamin of ESPN.The Milwaukee Bucks have emerged as a serious suitor in the pursuit of forward Richard Jefferson, league sources told ESPN.com.
No agreement has been reached, but the Bucks and Jefferson, 37, share a mutual interest on a possible deal once he clears waivers on Monday, league sources said.
Several other teams have expressed interest in Jefferson too, league sources told ESPN.
Earlier in the day, Saturday the Bucks released Gerald Green, which opens up a roster spot.
Jefferson played 20 minutes a game for the Cavaliers last season, and at age 37 he could give the Bucks solid minutes behind Khris Middleton and Mirza Teletovic at the three. Jefferson is no longer efficient as a scorer, but he plays within himself, and coach Tyronn Lue leaned him more in the Finals because of the need for wing defenders against the Warriors.
For Milwaukee, however, it’s less about the minutes and more about having a great veteran mentor in the locker room on a team with young stars such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Middleton, Thon Maker, Malcolm Brogdon, Jabari Parker, and Tony Snell.
Also, don’t be shocked to see the Bucks make a salary dump trade in the coming weeks (or at least by the trade deadline), they are flirting with the luxury tax, something ownership may not want to pay for a team not going to contend.