RJ’s brand spanking new contract.

To those of you who don’t know, the Spurs just signed Richard Jefferson to a contract that pays him about 8-10 million for the next 4 seasons.  A lot of Spurs fans saw “Rage” looking confused, bewildered and out of sync with his teammates.  In a stroke of luck for the Spurs, RJ opted out of his $15 million contract.  That stroke of luck turned worse when the Spurs resigned him for just short of $40 million for 4 years.  There seemed to be no other teams bidding for his services, why then would the Spurs give him so much money.

There are of course a few options:

1. They think that Richard can be an important part of the team moving forward.  Obviously there were limited options available at the Small Forward position.  The FO must have thought he was worth the money.
2. Kelly Dwyer, of Ball Don’t Lie, had this to say about the resigning: “The Spurs did this guy a favor. He turned 30 earlier this summer and has seen his per-minute contributions decline two years in a row. He could bounce back for a season or even two, and the Spurs need someone at his position.”
3. Last, but not least, I think it’s a sign that the Spurs know he won’t be as bad as last year.  He started looking good when he was paired up with Manu in that second string.  If we have a second string that includes Manu, RJ and Blair, we suddenly have a more lucid offense that plays to each of those players strengths, while saving Duncan’s legs.

I see this as an added bonus for Richard Jefferson.  He knows he didn’t play well last year.  Everyone knew it.  Coach Pop worked with Jefferson relentlessly in the off-season.  I fully expect that we will see good things from this, especially with RJ not thinking about money.

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