NBA Rumors: Richard Jefferson Amnesty Clause Cut Opens Up Caron Butler Signing

One of the first victims of the amnesty clause attached with the new CBA may not be Brandon Roy after all.

Instead Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the San Antonio Spurs will make small forward Richard Jefferson an amnesty cut on Friday. Jefferson currently has three years and $30 million on his current deal, which makes sense for the Spurs to get off their books.

More importantly, the money San Antonio saves opens the door for them to sign another small forward.

That guy should be the Mavericks' Caron Butler, who would serve as an upgrade over Jefferson.

While a report that has Butler going to the Los Angeles Clippers has surfaced from Steve Kyler, the Spurs may still have a shot at him. The Spurs were one of the four teams Butler has shown interest in and freeing up enough money by cutting Jefferson may be just the way to lure him to San Antonio instead.

What they've done is open the door for Butler. Now it's up to him to walk through it.

If he doesn't and chooses Los Angeles or another option, the Spurs can still reel in a free-agent small forward.

The next two options on the list could be Josh Howard and Vince Carter, who the Spurs have shown interest in.

There's also an SI.com report that links San Antonio to both Shane Battier and Grant Hill as well.

While Butler should be the top option of the Spurs, there are other options which would be an upgrade at the 3 for the Spurs.