Knicks Deny Offering Nets Broadcaster Richard Jefferson Contract Before Retiring

The New York Knicks are in last place in the Eastern Conference standings but first place in trying to get the last word in with broadcasters.

During Sunday's broadcast of the Knicks' third straight loss—this one to the Brooklyn Nets—Richard Jefferson said he knew it was time to retire when New York was the one team that was interested in him as a player. Jefferson walked away from the game following the 2017-18 campaign.

The Knicks public relations team was not about to let that go without a response and tweeted the following Monday: "For clarification purposes, it is not true that the New York Knicks offered Richard Jefferson a contract in either the summer of 2018 or 2019."

Jefferson appeared to find the entire thing amusing, as did his former team:

The University of Arizona product played 17 seasons in the NBA and was a key contributor to the 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers team that won the championship. While he averaged just 1.5 points a night in 20 games during the 2017-18 season on the Denver Nuggets, the Knicks could have probably used his help the following year.

New York went just 17-65 in 2018-19, which was the worst record in the league by multiple games. It is right on track for another lost season in 2019-20 at 4-13 and likely wouldn't be any worse off with Jefferson serving as a veteran leader on the team.

Jefferson—whether joking or not—didn't sound like someone anxious to lace it up in the Big Apple.

Good thing for him the Knicks were so adamant they don't want him.