J.R. Smith returned from his one-game suspension on Friday to play 24 minutes off the bench for the Knicks against the Nets, and had one of the game’s better highlight plays, using a spin move to elude a defender before finding Cole Aldrich inside with a pretty no-look pass.
The Knicks lost the battle in Brooklyn, however, and fell to just 2-4 on the young season.
The Suns signed Jimmer Fredette late last season, including a team option for next season in case he played well.
In a surprise to nobody reasonable, he didn’t.
So, Phoenix will move on and Fredette will fall to a lower level.
95.7 The Game:
Shams Charania of The Athletic:
Even with his option declined, Fredette is still under contract with the Suns until June 30. So, Larry Harris’ public revelation looks like tampering.
But the NBA’s tampering rules are vague and arbitrarily enforced. A key consideration: Whether the aggrieved team presses for action. I can’t imagine the Suns doing that.
Fredette, 30, might light up summer league – which is primarily for rookies and other young players. If he does while playing for Golden State’s team, the Stephen Curry comparisons will be inevitable.
They’ll also be misguided. Curry is a superstar. Fredette didn’t translate to the NBA, though there remains a fascination with him because he scored a lot at BYU a long time ago and still fills a great-white-hope narrative to some.
The Nets are hot on the heels of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
What could put Brooklyn over the top to land those star free agents?
Maybe DeAndre Jordan.
Marc Stein of The New York Times:
If Jordan would help the Nets attract Durant and Irving, great. Sign Jordan.
But Jordan would also fit well at center if Brooklyn signs Durant and Irving.
The Nets need another center with Jarrett Allen, as Ed Davis hits free agency. They could ideally use someone bigger, like Jordan. Though Allen has positioned himself well as Brooklyn’s long-term center, Jordan could even start – if he comes motivated.
Jordan has drifted lately. He fell out of favor with the Clippers, never meshed with the Mavericks then finished last season with the losing Knicks rather than taking a buyout. Jordan has ability as a finisher and rim-protector, but he’s not as active as used to be, and energy is important for playing that style.
The Nets’ room exception, which projects to be worth nearly $5 million, might be the right amount for him.
Andre Iguodala is a smart businessman who is heavily invested in tech startups (as are several Golden State Warriors players). That — and the fact he’s a famous NBA player — made him a good guest on CNBC’s Power Lunch show Monday.
Iguodala also has a few good connections to the thinking of the Golden State Warriors’ free agents Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson. Here is his response when asked about free agency and the Warriors on the show.
Of course, he said he expects Durant and Thompson to come back to the Warriors, what did you expect him to say? However, it was the exit line that got noticed:
“Nobody’s going to the Knicks. Sorry.”
More and more it’s looking like that.
Sources have said Thompson is staying with the Warriors since the start, he was never in play. Durant and the Knicks have been linked all season, but suddenly rumors of him going to Brooklyn with Kyrie Irving (and maybe Durant’s good friend DeAndre Jordan) have gotten a lot louder around the league. Brooklyn may be the frontrunner, with the Clipper still on the fringes of the conversation. The Warriors may be on the outside looking in.
The Knicks want a meeting with Kawhi Leonard, but that is a two-team race between the Raptors and Clippers, with Toronto seeming to have the edge after winning a title.
The smart play by the Knicks, if this happens, is not to spend wildly on the next tier of free agents but rather to sit on their cap space, develop and add to their young core, and wait for another star. That seems to be the plan, but how long before James Dolan gets impatient and forces something stupid to happen. For the Knicks, that’s always a concern.
Portland is always on the search for some quality play and shot creation at the forward spots (something that is a long-running weak spot), and with this trade the Trail Blazers get a little better.
Atlanta is sending Kent Bazemore to Portland in exchange for Evan Turner in a straight up, two-player trade. The story was broken by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and has since been confirmed by the teams.
Both players are in the final year of their somewhat overpaid contracts, Bazemore will make $19.3 million while Turner will pull down $18.6 million. Atlanta does save about $640,000.
This trade makes a lot of sense for Portland. Bazemore is a quality wing rotation player who averaged 11.6 points per game, is athletic and can create shots. Last season Bazemore was on his way to a career year until a mid-season ankle injury, and while he did come back to the court he was never healthy and the same player. He’s not a knock-down three-point shooter but he has usually been at around 35 percent or a little higher five of the past six seasons (he was down to 32 percent last season because of the ankle injury). This is more than just Rodney Hood insurance, this is an upgrade.
Turner was the guy Portland counted on as another shot creator, but he could not do that consistently or under pressure. He averaged 6.8 points per game last season, shot 21.2 percent from three, and is not a great defender. He is a popular teammate and good in the locker room (something useful with a young Hawks squad), but this is not an upgrade for the Hawks.
Then why did Atlanta make this trade?
“We are happy to add Evan to our team, a veteran who we believe can help our club,” Hawks GM Travis Schlenk said in a statement. “The versatility he has shown throughout his career will be valuable for us this season.”
Beyond that, the franchise does save $640,000, which is helpful but not earth-shattering. Also, it’s a favor to Bazemore to get him on a team that went to the Western Conference Finals a season ago and is a threat going forward. However, the best reason may be the Hawks have three young players they like — Kevin Huerter, plus just-drafted DeAndre Hunter and Cam Reddish — at the same spot and this frees up minutes for them to play.
Whatever the reason, the deal is done.
