Richard Jefferson was traded by the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Atlanta Hawks before the 2017-18 season started, but he was nearly traded last offseason after helping the Cavs win an NBA title.
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First, Jefferson considered retiring in 2016. But he opted to re-sign with the Cavs, and played with the team last year. But before the season started and the team got their championship rings, Jefferson decided to reveal what the championship rings looked like on his Snapchat before the team wanted people to know what they looked like.
ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported that then Cavs general manager David Griffin was upset that Jefferson displayed the rings too early, and he wanted to trade him.
"Then he was nearly traded the summer after the championship because he revealed what the Cavs' rings looked like on his Snapchat account before the team was ready to release them to the public," McMenanmin said. "Then-GM David Griffin was so ticked that he was ready to ship him out of town, sources told ESPN, before eventually calming down and accepting Jefferson's apology."
Related: Former NBA champion reportedly to be traded right before the start of the season
Now, neither Griffin nor Jefferson are in Cleveland. Griffin's contract wasn't renewed, and the team decided to trade Jefferson before the season started.
Jefferson was waived by the Atlanta Hawks, and he eventually signed with the Denver Nuggets.
Trading Jefferson for that reason would've been among the strangest reasons to trade someone in the history of the NBA. At least Griffin was able to calm down enough to keep Jefferson around for at least another season.
(h/t NBC Sports)
