Kings, Raptors In Talks On Jimmer Fredette Deal?

11:14am: Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee hears conflicting information, and suggests that no talks are ongoing. Still, the connection between Raptors GM Masai Ujiri and Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro, who worked together in the Nuggets front office, should lead to plenty of rumors, Jones points out (All Twitter links).

10:43am: The Kings and Raptors are discussing a swap of Jimmer Fredette for Aaron Gray, tweets Kevin Bryant of Canada.com. The one-to-one deal would be a near even match of salaries, and it could take place before December 15th, since neither player signed new contracts in the offseason.

Fredette has been a frequent trade candidate, and Sacramento’s decision to decline its 2014/15 team option on him means he’s on an expiring contract, perhaps lifting his value. Gray is also in the last year of his deal. Fredette, the 10th overall pick in 2011, has appeared in just six games so far for the Kings, averaging 12.2 minutes per contest. Gray has seen even less playing time, appearing for a total of 20 minutes this season.

The Kings were reportedly taking an aggressive posture in trade talks as of last month, and they’ve already pulled off one deal, acquiring Derrick Williams for Luc Mbah a Moute. Hoops Rumors readers identified Fredette as the second most logical trade candidate, though I’m not sure if many would endorse a trade for so little in return. Gray is the 49th overall pick from the 2007 draft, and apart from having managed to stay in the league each season since, he doesn’t have much to offer in exchange for a former lottery pick. Perhaps there’s more to this deal, even though the salaries match. Both teams are interested in a swap, but there’s nothing imminent at this point, Bryant notes (Twitter link).

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