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NEW YORK — Just about a 3 1/2 hour drive from the small town of Glens Falls where he grew up, Jimmer Fredette torched his childhood favorite New York Knicks for a career-high 24 points, including 6-of-8 from 3-point range on Wednesday night.
BYU's all-time leading scorer was sinking 28-foot bombs that rekindled memories of his 2011 AP Player of the Year campaign. On the night before the NBA takes four days off to enjoy the All-Star festivities and front office executives meet to reevaluate the trajectory of their franchises, Fredette made his first six shots, scoring 15 points in six minutes en route to the best night of his professional career.
With multiple trade rumors involving him popping up weekly, the Sacramento Kings are an organization in flux that, having already declined Fredette's fourth-year option, are likely to dangle he and other players before the league's Feb. 20 trade deadline.
Whether or not he will be moved will be determined by what the Kings can get back and how willing they are to bend on their expected return. Various contenders have already swapped their first-round selections, making it increasingly difficult to get the type of assets a team looking to move one of its former No.1 choices hope for.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound guard that Knicks TV play-by-play man Mike Breen said "doesn’t look like he belongs on the court — he looks like some young kid " has continued his ascension to status as a capable backup point guard.
Although he's averaging his lowest points-per-game total this season, Fredette is playing fewer minutes than in his rookie and second year and has improved his shot to become No. 1 in the NBA from behind the arc — 41.7 percent last year to 49.3 currently.
The league Player Efficiency Rating average is always 15, but of players that qualify, (play at least 6.09 minutes per game) Fredette’s 16.9 is the second highest of players seeing 12 minutes or less court-time on a nightly basis.
Of course, PER is limited in its defensive measurements and Fredette’s turnovers have increased. However, teams looking to add to their arsenal of 3-point threats would be hard pressed to find a cheaper, more valuable option available.
The latest rumor suggests Kings brass have been floating a package of Fredette and Marcus Thornton, who has another year and $8.5 million remaining on his contract.
Western Conference elites Oklahoma City and San Antonio may have interest and are among the few championship hopefuls that still have their first-round pick.
The Thunder also have Dallas’ first rounder to make them more interesting as a potential destination for Provo’s favorite NBA sharpshooter. With the loss of Russell Westbrook to a season-ending injury, the team could significantly improve its guard depth, especially since 39-year-old Derek Fisher is seeing 16.1 minutes a game.
Still, Fredette will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and with the consensus belief that this could be the best group of draft prospects since 2003, he could end up finishing the season in Sacramento due to a reluctance by other teams to relinquish draft picks.
