Jimmer Fredette Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Rumors: Butler, Sixers, Jimmer

March 2nd, 2014 at 8:45pm CST by Zachary Links

Heat president Pat Riley says that he made a play for Caron Butler but ultimately things didn’t work out. “We reached out to him. But he was very definitive with what he wanted. I don’t think it’s something we could have promised…We’re pretty deep. When you got James Jones and Udonis Haslem, Rashard Lewis in those positions, they’re waiting,” said Riley, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (Twitter links). More out of the East..

Within today’s article, Winderman has more from his talk with Riley, including a chat about the future of the Big Three and Dwyane Wade‘s recent emergence.
Brett Brown knew that this would be a rough season, but the rookie 76ers coach admits that he really didn’t realize how difficult things would be, writes Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “To say I knew it was going to be like this is false,” said Brown. Philly is 15-44 and has lost 13 consecutive games after Saturday night’s home loss to the Wizards.
Coach Mike Woodson says the Knicks didn’t consider guard Jimmer Fredette before he hooked on with the Bulls, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Sam Smith of Bulls.com gives his early impressions of new Bulls guard Jimmer Fredette. The guard spoke to the media about his time in Sacramento and what he hoped to do now that he’s in Chicago.
Thanks to the state of the Celtics roster, new callup Chris Babb could see even more burn than he could have possibly envisioned, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. Babb, who came up from the Maine Red Claws, says he was caught off-guard by his promotion.

Eastern Notes: Fredette, Silver, Stoudemire

March 2nd, 2014 at 12:23pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Commissioner Adam Silver not only defended the Sixers, but praised the organization’s strategy for attempting to build a championship contender, writes Jason Wolf of USA Today. This comes a day after former Magic coach Stan Van Gundy slammed the Sixers’ apparent willingness to field a non-competitive team and tank a season to improve its draft stock. “I don’t agree with Coach Van Gundy at all,” Silver said. “I just came from the locker room, I just spoke to the coach. It’s an insult to the entire league to suggest that these guys are going out on the floor and aren’t doing their very best to win games.” Tom Moore of Calkins Media tweeted that Silver said the team isn’t tanking, but rather “building from the ground up.” Silver also told Moore (Twitter link) that he “doesn’t believe a team has to go all the way to the bottom to get to the top.”

Bulls Sign Jimmer Fredette

March 2nd, 2014 at 9:33am CST by Cray Allred

The Bulls announced today the team has signed guard Jimmer Fredette for the remainder of the season. The Octagon Sports client‘s $2.4MM contract had cleared waivers making him a free agent. Exact financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.

“We are very excited to add a player like Jimmer to our roster,” said Bulls GM Gar Forman. “We’ve followed him closely throughout his collegiate and professional career, and believe he’ll be the type of player that will fit in with our group and be an asset to the team.”

Chicago was the favorite to add Fredette following his buyout agreement with the Kings on Thursday. The third-year guard is averaging a career low in minutes and points this year, but is shooting .493 from three and having his most efficient offensive season in limited playing time.

The Bulls — an elite defensive team — are hoping the 10th pick from the 2011 draft can add some firepower to their offense, which is ranked 27th in both three-point makes and percentage this season. Fredette has averaged 7 PPG and 1.5 APG in two-plus years with the Kings, where some believe he was miscast as a point guard and buried behind other developing talent that Sacramento accumulated in the backcourt.

While other notable buyout players Danny Granger, Glen Davis, and Caron Butler have signed up with contenders in the Western Conference over the last week, Fredette chose an Eastern Conference playoff team that could give him an opportunity to shine before he becomes a free agent in the summer.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Sam Amick of USA Today first reported the agreement. Shams Charania of RealGM reported that the deal covers the rest of the season and doesn’t include any options (Twitter link).

Eastern Notes: Iverson, Anthony, Thibodeau

March 1st, 2014 at 10:50pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The big news of the night was the Sixers officially retiring Allen Iverson‘s #3 during a halftime ceremony at tonight’s contest with the Wizards. Iverson had officially announced his retirement back in October. He averaged 26.7 PPG and 6.2 APG in 914 career regular-season games, and scored 29.7 PPG in 71 career playoff games. Iverson, who also saw action with the Nuggets, Pistons, and Grizzlies, was an 11-time All-Star, a four-time scoring champion, a three-time member of the All-NBA First Team, and won the MVP award in 2001. Congrats go out to A.I..

More from around the Eastern Conference:

Gary Neal is overjoyed at the trade that sent him to the Bobcats, writes Dan McCarney of MySanAntonio.com. Neal told McCarney that he got on the first available plane out of the city, as he wasn’t fond of how he was utilized in Milwaukee, nor about the direction of the franchise. Neal stated, “I’m excited to be playing meaningful basketball again. After three years of being with the Spurs, with every possession of every game counting I’m just glad to being back to that. I’m a little too old for the tanking situation.”
Jay Yeomans of the Deseret News analyzes how Jimmer Fredette fits in with the Bulls, who he is rumored to have reached an agreement with earlier today.
With free-agency right around the corner, Carmelo Anthony must be taking notice of how much has gone wrong with the Knicks, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday.
If ‘Melo is really committed to winning, then he should follow the example of Miami’s “Big-Three”, writes Moke Hamilton of SNY.tv. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh all took less to fit in under the salary cap, and Anthony should consider that before signing his next contract, opines Hamilton. It will be the only way for him to bring other star players to New York.
The Knicks might attempt to acquire Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau after the season if they let go of Mike Woodson. Marc Berman of the New York Post looks at why the Knicks should try, the probability of the Bulls letting him go, and what it might cost.
Tom Moore of Calkins Media looks at what Sixers GM Sam Hinkie can do with the five second-round picks the team has in this year’s draft.
Metta World Peace has interest in joining the Pistons, according to his brother, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Odds & Ends: Nowitzki, Colangelo, Fredette

February 28th, 2014 at 4:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Rockets GM Daryl Morey said today that he asked Mark Cuban about acquiring Dirk Nowitzki this summer out of fears the Warriors would keep Dwight Howard from coming to Houston, according to ESPN (Twitter link). Cuban didn’t realize Howard hadn’t committed to the Rockets, and interpreted the proposal as a taunt over the Mavs‘ failed pursuit of Howard. Morey made his remarks at the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, and we’ve got more from that meeting of the minds as we pass along the latest from the NBA:

Former Raptors and Suns GM Bryan Colangelo admitted that he attempted to tank a few seasons ago, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. Presumably, that happened during his Raptors tenure.
Jimmer Fredette piqued the interest of the Celtics, but it “wasn’t a good fit for either side,” as president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told reporters today, including Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).
The Timberwolves have no interest in Fredette for “myriad reasons,” according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).
Some within the Lakers organization wanted to retain Pau Gasol through the trade deadline to keep his Bird Rights, but Gasol writes in his blog that L.A.’s financial advantage to re-sign him won’t play into his decision (translation via HoopsHype). The 7-footer says he wants to go where he can help a team win a title, but he’s not ruling out a return to the Lakers.
Caron Butler‘s role on the Heat would have been similar to the one Mike Miller played in recent years, and part of his decision to instead join the Thunder centered on the chance for more playing time, notes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (Twitter links).
The top half of the lottery picks in this year’s draft will be a star-studded bunch, but there are still other potential franchise-changing players in the mix, writes Zach Harper of CBSSports.com, who examines five potential steals.

Bulls Rumors: Fredette, Thibodeau, Granger

February 28th, 2014 at 2:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Bulls appear on the verge of a deal with Jimmer Fredette, and although coach Tom Thibodeau wouldn’t address the soon-to-be former King specifically with reporters, he dropped strong hints that Fredette is the sort of player the team wants to add. Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com rounds up the coach’s remarks.

“We could always use shooting so we’ll see,” Thibodeau said. “I know (Bulls executives are) looking at a number of guys right now. But any time we could add shooting, we’re interested. I think the more shooting you have the more it opens up the floor. It’s just to create the space, too. We want to open things up where we could attack off the dribble with our cuts, things of that nature. But it’s also how you complement your primary scorers, so we feel that’s an area of need.”

There’s news about Thibodeau himself amid the latest from Chicago:

Bulls vice president of basketball John Paxson operations issued another dismissal of rumors that Thibodeau will leave the team this summer over disagreements with the front office, notes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “He is not going anywhere. … I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that our team is the best prepared in the NBA with Tom as our head coach,’’ Paxson said Thursday on WGWG-FM 87.7.
Sources close to the Bulls tell Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald that they didn’t have strong interest in Danny Granger or Caron Butler, despite reports putting them in the mix for both.
Trade chatter surrounded Mike Dunleavy and Kirk Hinrich before the deadline, but the Bulls never engaged in serious talks to deal away either of them, according to Sam Smith of Bulls.com, who answers reader questions in his latest mailbag column.

Kings Agree To Buyout With Jimmer Fredette

February 27th, 2014 at 5:52pm CST by Chuck Myron

5:52pm: Fredette is “strongly leaning” towards joining the Bulls once he clears waivers, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com (Twitter link).

3:26pm: The Kings and Jimmer Fredette have reached agreement on a buyout, the team announced. Sacramento’s press release doesn’t specifically state that the team has placed him on waivers, but presumably that’s the case. The Kings and Fredette’s representatives with Octagon Sports have been engaged in buyout talks this week after Sacramento failed to find a new home for its former 10th overall pick before the trade deadline.

Fredette will likely become a free agent on Saturday, and the Cavs and Bulls appear to be the teams with the most significant interest in signing him. Fredette is reportedly cool on the idea of joining Cleveland and is strongly considering latching on with a playoff team from the Eastern Conference. Chicago is pursuing others on the buyout market, but its best shot at landing a player of note appears to be with Fredette. The Grizzlies had interest, but Fredette was leaning against signing with Memphis in the hours before the Grizzlies claimed Beno Udrih off waivers Thursday, likely short-circuiting any chance of Fredette ending up with them.

Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio nonetheless hears the Grizzlies, as well as the Nuggets, are intrigued, and he names the Jazz a likely suitor as well. The Cavs are a long shot, according to Amico.

It’s not clear how much of Fredette’s $2,439,840 salary he’s giving up in the arrangement. The Kings declined the fourth-year option on his rookie scale contract, so he was due to hit free agency this summer. He never lived up to his draft position in Sacramento, where he saw his playing time shrink with each passing season. Still, he’s shooting 49.3% from three-point range with a 16.5 PER this season in 11.3 minutes per game.

“This was a very tough decision, but we’re confident that the agreement reached today represents the most productive path forward, both for Jimmer and the Kings,” Sacramento GM Pete D’Alessandro said. “Echoing a sentiment that everyone who knows him appreciates about Jimmer, he’s a tremendous person and a consummate professional. We thank him for the meaningful contributions he made to the team and in the Sacramento community. On behalf of an entire organization, we wish him nothing but great success in the future.”

The move opens a roster spot, and a report earlier this week indicated the team was likely to fill it with a 10-day contract for fellow former first-round pick Royce White. Still, coach Michael Malone said Thursday that such a move wouldn’t be happening soon.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

Buyout Rumors: Bulls, Granger, Butler

February 27th, 2014 at 12:47pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Bulls don’t believe adding a 13th guaranteed contract at this point will push the team into the luxury tax, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. I examined last month how the team’s proximity to the tax could affect its roster, and Mark Deeks of ShamSports did the same, noting how a bonus for Taj Gibson could push the team over the tax line. Deeks tweeted recently that the Bulls couldn’t sign anyone for the rest of the season until April 3rd, but judging from reports linking them to Jimmer Fredette, Danny Granger and Caron Butler, it appears they don’t have to wait that long. Here’s more on a bustling post-deadline market:

Granger is having phone conversations today with the Spurs, Heat, Rockets, Clippers and Bulls, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Those are the teams that TNT’s David Aldridge identified Wednesday as Granger’s preferred destinations.
Deeks clarifies that the Bulls can sign two players for the rest of the season today and stay out of the tax if they’re confident Gibson won’t make an All-Defensive Team and trigger the bonus clause in his contract. If they wanted to play it safe in case Gibson does earn such an honor, they’d have to wait until April 3rd to hand out any contract for the rest of the season (Twitter links).

Earlier updates:

The Bulls‘ best shot at landing a significant target is with Fredette, McGraw tweets.
The Rockets are also interested in Butler, according to Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times, who hears the Raymond Brothers client could make his decision on a new team today. The Heat and Thunder appear to be the favorites to land him.
The Bulls don’t have interest in newly minted free agent Metta World Peace, and they wouldn’t pursue Ben Gordon, either, if he buys his way off the Bobcats, according to Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald.
The Thunder were linked to Granger last week, but they haven’t been since, and the end of their pursuit has led many in the NBA to believe they’re confident about their chance to land Butler, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
The contract that Glen Davis signed with the Clippers is a two-year deal for the minimum salary with a player option for next season, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Davis joined the Clippers after securing a buyout from the Magic.

Jimmer Fredette, Kings Close To Buyout

February 27th, 2014 at 10:31am CST by Chuck Myron

10:31am: The Cavs are indeed interested in Fredette, according to a full story from Stein, who reiterates that the Bulls are also going after the sharpshooter. Stein hears Fredette is strongly considering a playoff-bound team in the East. Fredette and the Kings still haven’t reached agreement on a buyout, but that could happen as soon as today, sources tell Stein.

8:57am: The Cavs are unlikely to have interest in Fredette, unless today’s medical exams on the injured Dion Waiters and C.J. Miles go poorly, as Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal explains. Fredette wouldn’t want to sign with Cleveland anyway, according to an earlier report (linked below).

THURSDAY, 8:19am: The Bulls are a contender with an outside chance at landing Fredette, Stein tweets

1:01pm: The former BYU star is leaning against signing with the Grizzlies, according to Stein (on Twitter).

12:12pm: Fredette doesn’t have interest in joining the Cavs, Amico hears (Twitter link). Amico suggested Tuesday that Cleveland could get involved with the former BYU star, but it appears that’s not going to happen.

WEDNESDAY, 11:41am: The buyout is on track to be complete today, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

TUESDAY, 1:00pm: The Grizzlies are in on Fredette, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Memphis has pursued Fredette via trade since last season, Stein adds in a second tweet.

11:46am: The Cavs had interest in Fredette before the trade deadline, too, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, who suggests that Cleveland could be in the mix again, even though the trade talks didn’t make much progress. The Jazz have had no discussions about adding Fredette, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).

11:32am: Some in the Warriors front office are high on Fredette, but the team is unlikely to have interest in signing him if he becomes a free agent, according to USA Today’s Sam Amick (Twitter link).

9:20am: The Nuggets had “significant” talks with the Kings about Fredette before the deadline, Wojnarowski notes, pointing out that Denver elected to trade for Aaron Brooks instead (Twitter link). Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders identifies the Knicks as a “team to watch” in a potential race for Fredette, citing New York’s desire to add three-point shooting as well as potential legal trouble surrounding Raymond Felton (Twitter links). Felton was arrested overnight and faces three counts of criminal possession of a weapon.

8:51am: Jimmer Fredette and the Kings are nearing a buyout agreement, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Several teams are expected to have interest in signing the former 10th overall pick for the rest of the season.

Fredette had been a frequent subject of trade rumors, but the Kings couldn’t find a taker for his expiring contract, worth $2,439,840 this year. The Kings declined his 2014/15 option before this season began, setting him up for unrestricted free agency this summer. Now it appears he’ll hit the market even sooner.

The one-time college superstar at BYU has yet to approach that kind of success in the NBA, averaging 7.0 points in 15.0 minutes per game over two and a half seasons. His minutes and scoring have declined in both seasons since his rookie year, and his numbers are just 5.9 PPG and 11.3 MPG in 2013/14. He’s nonetheless improved his three-point accuracy every year, and is up to an impressive 49.3% this season, albeit on just 73 attempts.

The timing of the news is somewhat surprising, since the Kings traded Marcus Thornton to the Nets last week and announced this weekend that Jason Terry will miss the rest of the season, which might have opened up minutes for Fredette. Still, Isaiah Thomas, Ben McLemore and Ray McCallum are all still competing for backcourt playing time.

Atlantic Links: ‘Melo, Granger, Sixers

February 25th, 2014 at 10:44pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Last summer, Dwight Howard decided to leave $30MM in extra earnings on the table in order to find a situation that gave him the best chance to win – a situation that Carmelo Anthony faces in July if he decides to opt out of his contract. Based on the Rockets’ success this year, Sam Amick of USA Today says that there’s no better blueprint for Anthony to follow than Howard’s. Dwight, who says he spoken with Carmelo about that dynamic, offered some advice:

“I know he has just got to do what’s best for him…I’ve been through it. I’ve seen it. The same people that love you one day, if you don’t do what they want you to do, then they’re going to hate you. You’ve got to always remember that you’ve got to do what’s best for you at the end of the day. If people don’t like you, you can’t stop that.”

Here’s more of what we’ve gathered from the Atlantic Division tonight:

Following a recent loss to the Hawks, Anthony told reporters: “It’s definitely testing me…The frustration has definitely sunk in, just from the simple fact we’re losing games the same way over and over and we’re just not learning from that.” After last night’s crushing loss to the Mavs, he told Clifton Brown of the New York TImes, “You score 40, 44, 44, 44, all losses — you kind of ask yourself is it worth it.”
76ers head coach Brett Brown says he isn’t annoyed that Danny Granger would rather play for a contending team instead of Philadelphia, writes Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times. Brown also discussed the team’s rebuilding situation: “This is a very different rebuild than the others…It is completely at the bare bones. It just puts a pretty definitive timeline and set of reality checks on all of us that we have a lot of work to do.”
Brown added that he has plenty of faith in the front office: “I trust Sam Hinkie’s judgment on the process that just happened and the process that’s coming up…I can’t wait to be a part of it, with all of our draft picks. Draft night is one of my favorite nights.”
Jimmer Fredette‘s family would be ecstatic if he could somehow find his way to the Knicks once he’s bought out by the Kings, writes Christian Red of the New York Daily News.