Sacramento Kings: Is Jimmer Fredette On The Trading Block?

Apr 15, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Sacrament Kings guard Jimmer Fredette (7) handles the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Thabo Sefolosha (2) during the second half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Sacramento Kings didn’t exactly give guard Jimmer Fredette a Halloween treat on Thursday, informing No. 7 that they will not exercise their option on his contract for 2014-15.

That will make Fredette an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Jimmer fans should be ecstatic to hear news like this, because this may mean that Jimmer can finally find a fresh start away from a crowded backcourt in Sacramento.

With the news now official, there are questions that are now going to be asked , primarily: Is Jimmer on the trading block?

I’m going to assume the Kings are putting Jimmer on the block to see what his value is, and according to the Twitter account of the Sacramento Bee’s Jason Jones, the Kings have had offers for the former No. 10 overall pick for months now:

People may see this and say that coach Michael Malone should play Jimmer to build his trade value. That could be true, but let’s say Fredette doesn’t play well. Then what?

As of now Jimmer has a stable amount of value as a scorer,that can knock down the 3 efficiently and spread the floor. If that isn’t good enough for some, they can also look at the numbers.

Jimmer has some of the best per 36 minute numbers around in his first two years in the NBA. In 2011-12 season, Jimmer played in 61 games and in 18.6 minutes he averaged 7.6 points. That is a per 36 of 14.7 points. Same in his 2012-13 campaign; in fewer minutes, 14 minutes per game, Jimmer still found a way to average 7.2 points, which is 18.4 points per 38. He averaged those numbers while also shooting 41 percent from 3 and 42 percent overall.

Jimmer has shown many times he can produce in minimal minutes. These numbers could be a bit overrated, since of course they are projections. But nevertheless, general managers take a look at numbers like these when scouting, and potentially trading for, a player.

So, yes, it is true–if Malone plays Jimmer, it could build his value just a bit more.

I’ll say it again, though, what if he doesn’t produce? It really is a coin flip to know what Jimmer will do once he steps on the court and at times this year he will get his opportunity to play and show what he is worth.

It’s up to Fredette to be ready and build his own value, since he will be entering the free agent market.