The Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks are reportedly finalizing on a deal that will send veteran forward Richard Jefferson and second-year guard Kay Felder to Atlanta.
Shams Charania of The Vertical reported the deal first.
Cleveland is in advanced talks on a deal to send Richard Jefferson and Kay Felder to Atlanta, league sources tell The Vertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 13, 2017
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski provided the following context and information.
For Cavaliers, the finalization of deal will get roster to 15 for opening night. https://t.co/2I04dKTnfO
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 13, 2017
Cleveland will Richard Jefferson, Kay Felder and cash to Atlanta, league sources tell ESPN. Deal is agreed in principle.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 13, 2017
Jefferson, who won a championship with Cleveland following the 2015-16 season, averaged 5.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and one assist per contest last year. The veteran of nearly two decades can clearly still contribute with meaningful minutes off the bench, but perhaps his role was set to be diminished by the recent acquisition of Dwyane Wade, who relegated J.R. Smith to the bench.
Felder was a second-round pick by the Hawks, who traded him to Cleveland later that night. He contributed in a small way to last year’s NBA Finals team, averaging four points, one rebound and 1.4 assists per game during the regular season. He’s played some big minutes in two of the team’s preseason games this fall, scoring 12 points and dishing 11 assists last week against Washington.