Sacramento Kings guard Jimmer Fredette is heading towards a buyout and once that is complete, the former BYU star will be a free agent once he clears waivers and a number of teams could be interested, including the Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers.
Fredette never found his place with the Kings and after three years the two sides are heading for a split and he could be a hot commodity among playoff contenders, as he is an ace three point shooter and is one of the leaders in the league this season. According to ESPN.com, Fredette and the Kings are working on finishing the buyout and after he clears waivers sources said to Marc Stein that the Memphis Grizzlies and the San Antonio Spurs could be interested in signing him once he is officially a free agent.
Fredette came into the league with a bit of hype after winning a scoring title and being AP player of the year as a senior at BYU and after being a top 10 pick, he rotated through a number of different offenses and coaches while with the Kings and never found a role. Fredette was in and out of the lineup and did not get consistent minutes and with a split looming after the team did not pick up his option for next season, Fredette's agents approached the team about a buyout. General manager Pete D'Alessandro said that Kings owner Vivek Ranadive "loves Jimmer" and wants to do the right thing by him and that is why the two sides are working on a buyout.
This season Fredette is averaging 5.9 points per game in just 11 minutes, but his real skill is shooting the basketball and he brings a 47 percent field goal percentage this season and he has been fantastic from three-point range, shooting 49 percent. Playoff teams would love to add a shooter like that to the lineup and while he is only averaging seven points in his career so far through three seasons, a change of scenery could be the chance for him to find a consistent role as a player.
Fredette is leading the league among players with at least 70 attempts from three point range with .493 percent and he leads Anthony Morrow by a decent amount. Fredette's contract pays him $2.4 million this season and he was headed for a new team anyway, as the Kings did not pick up his option for next year and this comes after the trade deadline when many felt that Fredette would get dealt. The team did not find a suitable deal and they made other moves, including trading Marcus Thornton to the Brooklyn Nets and now they are planning to build for the future around young players in Ben McLemore and Ray McCallum.