Report: Cavs nearly traded Jefferson in 2016 for leaking championship rings

Richard Jefferson's tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers could have ended a year earlier than it actually did.

Months after the Cavaliers captured their first NBA title in franchise history in 2016, Jefferson posted an image of the championship rings they'd be receiving to his Snapchat account, well before the team had a chance to themselves.

This reportedly infuriated former general manager David Griffin, so much so that he was ready to trade the veteran forward because of it, sources told ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

Luckily for Jefferson, Griffin eventually cooled down and accepted his apology for the leak.

When the rings began circulating on social media, Jefferson deleted his original post and replaced it with one of him saying, "Haha ... I knew you guys couldn't be trusted."

Related - Report: Jefferson intends to continue NBA career once waived by Hawks

The now 37-year-old was recently dealt to the Atlanta Hawks, along with Kay Felder, two future second-round picks, and cash considerations, in exchange for the draft rights to Dimitrios Agravanis and Sergey Gladyr.