Two weeks ago BYU Basketball fans were celebrating the second chance that Jimmer Fredette was getting in the NBA after signing with the Phoenix Suns, but now what?
Zero minutes. That is the amount of time former BYU Basketball star Jimmer Fredette has played the last two games after his 1-10 shooting night against the Jazz. Having only averaged 1.5 minutes per game in the three games not played in Utah it begs the question, what is next?
The most concerning part of everything though is that he is not out on the court when in close game situations when the team could use a three point shooter. The last two games that have Jimmer not play have been the two games that have come down to the final minute of the game. If Jimmer isn’t being used for these situations, he likely won’t be used for any.
With only five more games remaining in the season, time and opportunities are quickly running out for Jimmer. As much as I try to convince myself otherwise, I do not see Jimmer getting signed by another team with the stats he has put recently.
Again, I am not drawing conclusions too quickly, but if Jimmer does not improve, here are some options he may be facing in just under a month.
1. Jimmer re-signs with the Suns
Devin Booker is going to be at the beginning of his five year contract with the Suns that will see him get paid more than $27 million dollars next season. With only $109 million in projected cap space, the team will be looking for some cheap players with potential upside especially after they currently only have a projected $27 million in cap space.
If the Suns are able to get the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft and get Zion Williamson, the Suns instantly will be a contender if they are able to have Booker, Williamson and then pick up a player for about $20 million. Players like Kyrie Irving, Jabari Parker or Jimmy Butler fall into that group that would make the Suns an instant playoff team and quite possibly a top five team overall.
If they were to go this route however, their remaining seven bench players, after you take out those three and the other four current starters, would be looking at contracts all around $1.5 million. Suddenly players like Fredette appear as real options as their may not be another three point shooter out there for so inexpensive. Fredette would have to settle for the NBA minimum $1.8 million dollars and honestly he would probably gladly take it.