Does anyone want Danny Granger?
How about Jimmer Fredette?
This is the last week for contenders to shore up their playoff rosters with NBA players for a run they hope will last into June.
Teams have until March 1 to sign players eligible for the playoffs. The Los Angeles Clippers already made a big splash on that front by signing Glen “Big Baby” Davis, who had the final two years of his contract bought out by Orlando.
It’s a good fit. The Clippers desperately needed a backup big who warrants defensive attention, and Davis helped current Clippers coach Doc Rivers win one championship and almost a second in Boston.
But the big name that could be on the free agent market over the next few days is Granger.
Granger was traded from Indiana to the horrible Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday and is in the last year of his contract. Liberty Ballers reports that Miami, San Antonio and Oklahoma City would be interested if he were bought out.
Indiana built its young franchise’s hopes around Granger, and he delivered. Granger averaged at least 18.7 points and five rebounds for five consecutive seasons, winning Most Improved Player and making the All-Star team in 2009. He averaged 25.8 points per game that season and 24.1 the next. He was a bona fide star.
The Pacers built around him, drafting Roy Hibbert, Paul George and Lance Stephenson and signing David West from the Hornets. They acquired point guard George Hill in a draft night trade with San Antonio in 2011 and slowly and organically built a title contender under Larry Bird and, later, Donnie Walsh.
Then Granger got hurt, injuring his knee and missing all but five games of the 2012-2013 season. In his absence, George became an even bigger star than Granger, ironically making the team’s original building block fairly redundant.
Granger struggled to return to form and missed the first part of the season recovering from a calf injury. When the opportunity to acquire Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen from Philadelphia arose, Indiana couldn’t pass up trading its eroded franchise pillar.
Granger will clear waivers if bought out, because no contending team would want – or be able – to take on the $5 million or so left on his contract. Granger’s numbers aren’t very impressive, but he still provides value.
| Granger | Minutes | FG% | 3FG% | Points | Rebounds | Assists | O Rate | D Rate | PER | WS/48 |
| Season | 22.5 | 35.9 | 33 | 8.3 | 3.6 | 1.1 | 98 | 99 | 10.4 | 0.9 |
Granger has allowed just 99 points per 100 possessions on defense this season, which could be a product of playing for the league’s top defensive team. But he could be a strong perimeter defender no matter where he lands. And Granger has hit 36 percent of his 3-pointers in February, which makes him a cheap, experienced and viable “three and D” pickup.
If Granger ends up with Miami, it would be a juicy “revenge factor” story with Granger teaming with his old rival after being spurned by the team that raised him as a player. Miami did just sign guard DeAndre Liggins to a 10-day contract, so either Liggins or someone like Toney Douglas would have to be released to make room for a signing like Granger.
San Antonio could use veteran insurance for Kawhi Leonard and Oklahoma City could use the same at the wing, with top defender Thabo Sefolosha dealing with an injury of his own.
Baby Goes West
The Clippers are set on the perimeter, with Chris Paul and Darren Collison running the offense and J.J. Redick, Jamal Crawford and Matt Barnes filling the wings. But they have lacked depth in the frontcourt beyond Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.
Antawn Jamison and Byron Mullens were traded Thursday to shed salary and create roster spots for someone like Davis, who is comfortable and familiar with Rivers’ system.
Davis’ playing time with the rebuilding Magic decreased as the season progressed, and a buyout was arranged. The good news for the Clippers is that Davis’ production improved with his reduction in playing time.
| Davis | Minutes | FG % | Points | Rebounds | Blocks | O Rating | D Rating |
| Season | 30.1 | 45.3 | 12.1 | 6.3 | 0.5 | 99 | 107 |
| February | 24.5 | 48.6 | 9.6 | 3.4 | 0.62 | 108 | 107 |
Davis is scoring nine more points per 100 possessions this month than his season average while remaining the same defensively. His rebound rate is down, but his field goal percentage has improved more than three percentage points. This is encouraging for the Clippers, who could use Davis and the experience of his 69 career playoff games.
Jimmer Exiting Sacramento
After the Kings failed to trade once-heralded guard Jimmer Fredette last week, both sides decided to move on and a buyout agreement is imminent, according to Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Fredette was never able to fulfill the basketball world’s lofty expectations for him after a legendary collegiate career at BYU overinflated his ability to succeed on the NBA level.
Fredette’s minutes thinned after Sacramento drafted Ben McLemore and Ray McCallum, but a funny thing happened: Fredette got far more efficient with his reduced playing time, and The Jimmer is having by far his best season as a pro. In 11.3 minutes, Fredette is shooting 47.5 percent from the field, an extremely impressive 49.3 percent from three and has a career-high PER of 16.5.
Here’s a look at his hot spots:
Fredette has been extremely efficient from the corners and the wings from three and is well above average as a shooter between eight and 16 feet. Denver reportedly had interest in Fredette last week before acquiring Aaron Brooks in a trade from Houston, and the Knicks could be interested after Raymond Felton’s arrest early Tuesday on felony gun charges.
Fredette could also be appealing to a contending team looking for a long-range shooter off the bench. Memphis could be one of those interested teams, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein.
Other Possible Names
Antawn Jamison leads the list of other notable players who could land with contenders this week. Jamison negotiated a buyout with the Hawks after being dealt by the Clippers, and one interested party could potentially be Oklahoma City. The Thunder will be without center Kendrick Perkins for up to six weeks as he rehabilitates from groin surgery, an injury he suffered on Thursday against Miami.
The Knicks bought out the contracts of Metta World Peace and Beno Udrih, and both could be appealing to contending teams. World Peace’s defense could make him a target of a team like the Clippers, while perhaps a team like San Antonio could use point guard depth after trading Nando de Colo to Toronto last week. Udrih played the first three seasons of his career with the Spurs.
Speaking of the Knicks, they’re reportedly finalizing an agreement with big man Earl Clark, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. Clark was bought out by Philadelphia after being acquired from Cleveland in last week’s Spencer Hawes trade. New York reportedly wants to sign defensive-minded players to its roster.
Players who could be bought out of their deals this week include Charlotte’s Ben Gordon, who is on the last year of his contract and isn’t very relevant after the Bobcats acquired guards Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour from Milwaukee last week.
Speaking of the Bucks, they’re currently negotiating a buyout with forward Caron Butler, according to Gery Woelfel. Butler’s former team, Miami, could be a fit.
If San Antonio doesn’t sign Shannon Brown to another 10-day contract, the former Lakers reserve could land with another playoff team this week as well.
There are also some players who finished up their seasons in China and can make an impact, as our James Hsu noted. We will update this post as the week progresses.
Shlomo Sprung is a national columnist for Sheridan Hoops who loves advanced statistics and the way they explain what happens on the court. He is also the web editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. A 2011 graduate of Columbia University’s Journalism School, he has previously worked for the New York Knicks, The Sporting News, Business Insider and other publications. His website is SprungOnSports.com. You should follow him on Twitter.