The equation is quite simple: The Sacramento Kings are trying to get rid of Jimmer Fredette via trade, but despite recent rumors, the Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t an interested party, feeling quite happy about their guard rotation at the moment.
According to Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the rumors floating around about the Cavs’ interest in the combo-guard that’s entering his third season in the NBA aren’t true. The Cavs haven’t spoken to the Kings in over a month about any kind of deal, and they are quite pleased with their guard rotation that includes Kyrie Irving, Jarrett Jack, Dion Waiters and C.J. Miles.
The Kings don’t seem to have a place for Fredette in their lineup or even 10-man rotation, be it at point guard or shooting guard. While he has shown quite impressive shooting ability since entering the NBA, including hitting 41.7% of his three pointers last season, his defense and overall ability when it doesn’t come to hitting three pointers has been generally disappointing for a top-10 pick.
Fredette is due to make $2.4 million this season and there’s a team-option worth $3.1 million for the 2014-2015 season, which should make his contract a very attractive one for teams looking to clear a few million of their cap space. However, for now, Fredette just doesn’t seem like an attractive enough of an option, and the Kings are stuck with a player they don’t feel has what it takes to overcome his flaws in too many areas of the game.
The Kings are in somewhat of a rebuilding mode for a very long time, but they’ve realized that Fredette isn’t someone they want to be part of that movement. However, it’s unlikely they’ll be departing of him anytime soon, and it remains to bee seen just how much playing time they have for him, after his playing time already dropped to 14 minutes a night last season.