In a surprising move yesterday, SF Richard Jefferson decided to opt out of his contract with the San Antonio Spurs. With the declined option, Jefferson is walking away from $15.2 million that the Spurs would have had to pay him, if he stayed on the team. Jefferson's playing time diminished as soon as he was acquired by San Antonio. Sources close to the situation say that coach, Gregg Popovich, was pretty hard on him, which made Jefferson somewhat unhappy. Todd Eley, Jefferson's agent, announced that Richard Jefferson wanted to take advantage of the soon-to-be Collective Bargaining Agreement.
However, this doesn't mean that this is the last of Jefferson's stay in San Antonio. He could very well re-sign with San Antonio, although no one knows what his decision will be.
Jefferson was chosen by the New Jersey Nets with the 13th overall selection. He helped contribute to the Nets by helping them to back-to-back appearances in the NBA Finals, only losing both times to San Antonio and Los Angeles, respectively. During the 2007-08, Jefferson passed former Net, Kerry Kittles, for second place all time in Nets scoring. He signed a 6 year/$78 million contract extension with the Nets in 2004.On June 26, 2008, he was traded from the Nets to Milwaukee for PF Yi Jianlian and SF Bobby Simmons. Jefferson expressed displeasure in the trade, as he wanted to be in New Jersey for the rest of his career. However, Jefferson seemed eager to play alongside sharpshooter, Michael Redd. They failed to accomplish much as a duo because Jefferson's time in Milwaukee was short-lived and only lasted one season. Almost a year later, he was dealt yet again; this time to championship contender, San Antonio. He was traded for SF Bruce Bowen, PF Kurt Thomas, and C Fabricio Oberto.
In my opinion, the reason Jefferson opted out was because he felt that he could make just as much money elsewhere. In San Antonio, he was their fourth best player behind Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker. Jefferson's game really can't be compared to a fourth scorer on a great team. I think that Jefferson wants to go somewhere where he could be the second leading scorer on the team, or maybe even the first. I also think that Jefferson will either return to San Antonio or go back to where it first started, New Jersey. Although he has had declining stats, he can rejuvenate his career somewhere else and make an actual impact on a team that isn't stacked with other players who want the ball. And even though he's not a marquee free agent, he can probably make over $10 million a year on another team.
