Jimmer Fredette Will Be Dropped By Sacramento Kings

The moment Jimmer Fredette entered the 2011 NBA draft and was chosen as the No. 10 overall pick there were questions about his ability to perform at the college level.

Scouts were worried that Fredette’s lacking abilities on defense would leave him vulnerable and unable to dominate at the professional level. Despite those concerns Jimmer was picked up early by the Milwaukee Bucks and then traded almost immediately to the Sacramento Kings as part of a draft-day trade.

Now after two seasons in the NBA with Sacramento it looks as if Jimmer Fredette will be looking for a new NBA home. While Fredette has shot a respectable 38.4% from the three-point range, as scouts predicted he has not played up to NBA levels on defense. Fredette’s minutes average also dropped in his second season from 18.6 to 14.0 per game.

During Wednesday night’s celebratory opener against the Denver Nuggets the former No. 10 NBA draft pick failed to play.

A new report from Sam Amick of USA Today suggests that the Sacramento Kings have refused to pick up Jimmer Fredette’s fourth-year option for the 2014-2015 season. That means Fredette would become a free agent after the summer of 2014.

The move makes sense for the Kings who have a rather crowded back court, however Jimmer is only set to make $3.1 million next season, a small salary to ensure an additional player when needed.

In his USA Today piece Amick writes:

The NBA career of former college sensation Jimmer Fredette took another turn for the worse Thursday, when, according to a person with knowledge of the situation, the Sacramento Kings informed him they would not exercise the 2014-15 team option that would have paid him $3.1 million for that season.

Amick continues:

Fredette, the former Brigham Young star who was taken 10th overall in the 2011 draft, didn’t play in the team’s regular season opener Wednesday night against the Denver Nuggets and is behind Greivis Vasquez, Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Thornton and rookie Ben McLemore in the Kings’ backcourt and will now be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Where he’s playing leading up to that point is another question entirely.

Several teams have inquired about potential deals with Sacramento and Fredette could be thrown into the trade mix.

It hasn’t helped Jimmer Fredette’s career that in his two years in the NBA his first season was cut short by a lockout and his second season was met with an uncertain future for the franchise.

Jimmermania ended when Jimmer Fredette left Brigham Young University and it doesn’t look to be returning any time in the near future.