Pacific Notes: Suns, D12, Paul, Lakers, Fredette
Let's head to the west coast and round up a few of Tuesday's items out of the Pacific Division….
- After waiving Othyus Jeffers, the Suns have more difficult roster decisions ahead of them, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Among those is deciding which big man to keep from a group that includes Ike Diogu, Solomon Jones, and Luke Zeller.
- Although it appears that the Lakers and Clippers are the overwhelming favorites to re-sign Dwight Howard and Chris Paul respectively next summer, the two stars could conceivably decide to team up on a team like the Hawks, says ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (Insider link).
- The Lakers likely wouldn't have Steve Nash, Jordan Hill, and others on this year's roster if it weren't for a handful of small trades in the past, as Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times explains.
- Jimmer Fredette's stock has fallen since he was selected 10th overall in the 2011 draft, but he's showing promise this preseason for the Kings, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Sacramento has two more weeks to exercise its $2.44MM option on Fredette for 2013/14.
Thunder Interested In Jimmer Fredette
There have been rumblings this summer that the Kings could explore trading Jimmer Fredette and that Jimmer might be open to being moved. If Sacramento does entertain offers, the Thunder figure to be one team that will kick the tires. According to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Sulia link), Oklahoma City "would love to pry Fredette away" from the Kings. Amico adds that Kevin Durant is a big fan of Jimmer.
Previous reports on Jimmer's potential availability alluded to the player's desire for a larger role and more playing time, and it's not clear whether he would receive those opportunities for the Thunder. It's also unlikely that the Kings would consider trading last year's lottery pick for cents on the dollar after one poor season, so I doubt we'll see a trade anytime soon.
As for the Thunder, Amico says their interest in Fredette would be as a replacement for Derek Fisher. With Eric Maynor expected back to start the season though, that's probably not a real area of concern for Oklahoma City at this point.
Kyler On Evans, Fredette, Iguodala, Calderon
While Dwight Howard is still the league's most prominent trade candidate, as he has been since Chris Paul was dealt to the Clippers, there are a number of other players that could potentially be on the move in the coming months. In his latest NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler provides updates on a few of those players. Here are the highlights:
- While the Kings were entertaining trades offers for Tyreke Evans around the time of the draft, they've since cooled on the idea of dealing him, according to Kyler. Still, Sacramento may decide to pass on a long-term extension for the 22-year-old. Kyler hears that both Evans and teammate Jimmer Fredette could be open to being moved.
- It's "highly unlikely" that the Sixers will trade Andre Iguodala before the season begins. Sources tell Kyler that any move involving Iguodala is probably something that would happen down the road.
- Kyler hears that Jose Calderon wasn't all that happy with the way the Raptors pursued Steve Nash and Kyle Lowry this offseason, and that Toronto is willing to accomodate a trade. There's not much of a market for Calderon at this point, but the Raps believe they could land an asset for him before the trade deadline.
Kings Exploring Trading Jimmer Fredette?
Earlier this week, the Kings agreed to sign Aaron Brooks to a two-year deal, adding a third point guard to a roster that already included Isaiah Thomas and Jimmer Fredette. While the acquisition of Brooks doesn't mean another roster move is imminent, the Kings have "entertained some trade discussions" involving Fredette, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.
It seems unlikely that the Kings would be ready to part ways with last year's 10th overall pick after one unspectacular season. However, Fredette's camp has "made it known" it would like to either get an idea of the 23-year-old's role in Sacramento, or get a trade to somewhere where he'd see more playing time, according to Kyler.
SI.com's Sam Amick acknowledged this week that Fredette's camp was "clearly surprised" by the addition of Brooks, but Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (Sulia link) feels trade speculation involving Jimmer is overblown. According to Jones, the Kings didn't want to rely on two second-year players to handle the point, and Fredette is often at his best when he's not the primary ballhandler anyway. Considering Brooks may not even be back in Sacramento next season (the second year of his deal is a player option), his signing doesn't necessarily hurt Jimmer's long-term future with the Kings, says Jones.
Odds & Ends: Gordon, Cavaliers, Vazquez
- Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago discusses why the Bulls' title window will shrink over the next two seasons.
- Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer describes the progress that Byron Mullens appears to be making with the Bobcats based on his performances at the Las Vegas Summer League.
- 76ers head coach Doug Collins says he feels "very good" about what the team has accomplished during this offseason, writes John Gonzalez of CSNPhilly.com.
Pacific Notes: Fredette, Curry
With Golden State currently battling Indiana, and Sacramento doing battle with Utah later tonight, here are a couple quick notes from the Pacific Division:
- While he's struggled mightily in the first half of his rookie year, Kings head coach Keith Smart believes Jimmer Fredette just needs to make a few adjustments in order to find actual success in the league. In a lengthy interview with the Salt Lake Tribune's Brian T. Smith, Smart goes on to compare Fredette with J.J. Redick and says he can someday contribute in a positive way like the former Duke product is doing in Orlando.
- MercuryNews.com's Monte Poole gives what will surely be received as an unpopular opinion regarding what Golden State should do with its most valuable asset, Stephen Curry, who missed tonight's game against the Pacers with a strained tendon in his right foot. With half a season left to play, Poole thinks the Warriors should sit Curry from here on out in order to increase draft position and get a look at rookies such as Charles Jenkins and Klay Thompson. In essence, he wants the team to tank the season.