In the almost empty free agency market left, Lou Amundson seems like the biggest catch left to sign, with about every team in need of another backup player in their frontcourt showing some sort of interest, which includes the – Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks.
According to Shams Charania of RealGM.com, Amundson has already met with a couple of teams and has two more, for now, on the calendar scheduled for a meeting.
Amundson played on three different teams last season, beginning the year with the Minnesota Timberwolves, later to be waived by the team. The Chicago Bulls picked him up on a 10-day contract, before he eventually signed with the New Orleans Hornets to end the season with them.
There’s not too much to expect from Amundson, who is the classic 15th player on a roster type of player. Some teams need big bodies to fill their frontcourt quotas, and Amundson has been fitting that bill for a very long time. He averaged 9.5 minutes a night last season for all three teams, averaging 1.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game.
So as we approach the preseason, it’s just another scarp and fight for Amundson, who has managed to remain in the league for the last seven seasons despite his meager time on the floor or offensive production, avoiding the European or D-League “demotion”, except for playing in the D-League before his rookie season, named as the league’s rookie of the year.
Any team that picks him up isn’t likely to give him a guaranteed deal, with the option of cutting him before the season actually begins. Amundson has been making through on minimum deals for most of his career, making a bit more over the last three seasons. For a player who hasn’t averaged over 15 minutes a game in any of his seasons and hasn’t played more than 60 games in a year since the 2009-2010 season, getting a job in the league, even in the smallest of roles, is all he can expect to achieve.