The Kings are in talks to complete a buyout with guard Jimmer Fredette. Fredette would be waived and become a free agent after clearing waivers.
The third-year guard was a first-round draft pick in 2011, but never came close to matching the stardom he attained at Brigham Young University, where he was the consensus Player of the Year as a senior and one of the best scorers in the country.
The reasons Fredette never flourished with the Kings are numerous. Of his three head coaches, only Paul Westphal was committed to playing him a lot.
Then there was Isaiah Thomas, who outplayed Fredette almost immediately during their rookie year, eventually claiming the starting point guard job.
Concerns about Fredette’s defense, ballhandling and inability to create his own shot also kept him from playing consistent minutes and trumped his shooting ability.
Fredette’s time in Sacramento was set to end once the Kings declined to pick up the option on his contract for next season.
The Kings looked to find trade partners to move Fredette before last week’s trading deadline, but were unsuccessful. That was a disappointment to Fredette and the Kings, who like Fredette and wanted to give him a chance to play elsewhere.
The Kings had already begun planning for next season, playing rookie Ray McCallum as the backup point guard behind Isaiah Thomas and taking Fredette out of the rotation.
Fredette is averaging 5.9 points and 1.5 assists this season. He averages 7.0 points for his career.
Fredette’s release would leave four players left from last season’s roster.
Follow The Bee’s Jason Jones on Twitter @mr_jasonjones and read more about the team at www.sacbee.com/kings.
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