Trail Blazers free agent Jared Jeffries retires, joins Nuggets front office

Jared Jeffries has retired from the NBA after an 11-year career and will join the Nuggets front office in a scouting role. (Cameron Browne/Getty Images)

NBA journeyman Jared Jeffries is retiring from the NBA after an 11-year career to join the Denver Nuggets'  front office, according to a report Tuesday from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

The 31-year-old forward-center most recently played for the Portland Trail Blazers last season and will join the Nuggets in a scouting role. Jeffries will re-connect with Nuggets General Manager Tim Connelly, who worked in the Wizards' front office when Jeffries was with the Wizards from 2002-06.

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A former Big Ten Player of the Year with the Indiana Hoosiers, Jeffries was selected 11th overall in the 2002 draft by the Wizards. Despite chronic knee injuries throughout his career, he went on to stints with the New York Knicks, Houston Rockets and most recently the Blazers. He played a minor role in the Blazers' rotation last season, making 38 appearances and averaged 1.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in nine minutes per game.

He now joins a revamped Nuggets front office that includes assistant general manager Arturas Karnishovas, director of basketball operations Ben Tenze as well as Connelly, who joined the Nuggets this past June.

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