Richard Jefferson just went full DeAndre Jordan on Dallas Mavericks
By Josh Hill
The Dallas Mavericks have lost another player who backed out of a deal they had previously agreed to with Mark Cuban.
Mark Cuban is one of the most powerful owners in all of professional sports, but he’s having a really bad summer. First he loses watches Rajon Rondo quit on his team, then he loses DeAndre Jordan after he agreed to sign with the team just hours before free agency officially opened.
Now Cuban has lost yet another player who has backed out of a deal.
According to Marc Stein from ESPN.com, the Mavericks have lost another player this offseason after they reneged on a deal. This time, Richard Jefferson took cues from DeAndre Jordan and has backed out of an agreed deal with the Mavericks to sign with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Another curveball in Mavs' offseason: Hearing that vet swingman Richard Jefferson, thought to be staying in Dallas, now signing with Cavs
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 21, 2015
Stein later pointed out that this wasn’t a curveball and Mark Cuban wasn’t blindsided by Jefferson’s decision to leave for Cleveland.
Mavs owner Mark Cuban tells ESPN that team was NOT blindsided by Richard Jefferson's U-turn a la DeAndre Jordan, saying RJ called him first
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 21, 2015
There’s really layers to this — with the top few layers being all about the Mavs losing yet another player after they agreed to sign with them. This isn’t as big of a loss as Jordan, nor is it as public, but it’s like beating Mark Cuban with a shovel while he’s already down and trying to get up.
Frankly, it’s almost uncalled for but Jefferson has made it known in the past that he’s chasing rings and Cleveland is a much better place to try and win than Dallas.
As for the Cavaliers, Jefferson adds some much needed wing depth and could end up being a veteran signing who doesn’t end up becoming as useless as the knight at the end of The Last Crusade. That’s basically what Mike Miller and Shawn Marion were last year, with James Jones being only a bit more active.
Jefferson isn’t a youth injection by any means, but he’s a valuable veteran who can help give the Cavaliers depth they need. This is, of course, assuming he doesn’t change his mind again.