February’s buyout season is becoming more interesting than the trade deadline itself.
There’s a case to be made that the goings-on surrounding Danny Granger, Caron Butler, Jimmer Fredette and others could make a bigger impact than all those moves made one week ago.
With Granger, Butler and now Jimmer Fredette (as the Kings announced) officially bought out and ancillary players like Beno Udrih, Earl Clark and Shannon Brown finding new teams, it’s time to really ramp up the races for players who could make their marks on the playoff chase.
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. It is becoming known as February Free Agency.
The official NBA rule is that teams have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday, March 1 to waive a player so he can be used on a postseason roster this season. So over the next few days, there will be a barrage of rumors, buyouts and transactions, and we will keep you abreast of all the latest information here at SheridanHoops.
The Los Angeles Clippers already made a big splash this week by signing Glen “Big Baby” Davis, who had the final two years of his contract bought out by Orlando. They even signed him to a two-year contract, as the L.A. Times reported. Davis, who has a player option for $1.4 million next season, made his debut last night in the Clips’ victory over the Rockets.
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 will 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 was in the last year of his contract. The two sides breached agreement on a buyout on Wednesday and the Clippers appear to be the frontrunner. With J.J. Redick still out and Jamal Crawford suffering a calf injury in Wednesday’s win over Houston, Granger could conceivably get starter’s minutes, something other suitors cannot offer. Because of that, the Clippers have “nudged ahead” of the Spurs, according to Marc Stein and Ramona Shelbourne of ESPN.com.
That duo reported Tuesday that Granger and San Antonio have mutual interest, but Los Angeles’ offer of playing time could trump that. Granger will have phone conversations with the Clippers, Spurs, Heat, Rocket and Bulls according to Yahoo’s Marc Spears.
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, making the All-Star team in 2009 and winning a gold medal as a member of Team in Turkey in 2010. 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.
It appears highly unlikely at this point, but 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 or Butler.
Granger is not likely to verbally commit to a team before he clears waivers on Friday at 5 p.m. Eastern, according to Stein and Shelbourne. So we’ll just have to wait.
Butler Bought Out
Milwaukee bought out veteran forward Caron Butler. Butler’s former team, Miami, and Oklahoma City have emerged as the two frontrunners for his services, Wojnarowski said. With the Heat and Thunder both honing in on Butler as their top priorities this week (it seems like both teams have stopped pursuing Granger), and the Spurs and Bulls showing interest as well, it will be interesting to see which contender he will choose.
Butler has had one of his worst seasons this year, shooting 38.7 percent from the floor, his worst percentage since he was with the Heat in the 2003-2004 season, and the Bucks were outscored by 13 points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor. But he’s still shooting 36.1 percent from three and some team will want his veteran presence in the locker room going forward.
What once seemed like a lock for Miami has grown to a two-team race with OKC, Woj said.
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 now official. 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. Chicago has emerged as a possibility for Fredette, with the Bulls in need of another shooter, Stein reports. Memphis definitely has interest but Fredette is leaning towards signing elsewhere, Stein said on Tuesday. Denver reportedly had interest in Fredette last week before acquiring Aaron Brooks in a trade from Houston.
Fredette could also be appealing to a contending team looking for a long-range shooter off the bench.
Sacramento has already signed former Pacers reserve Orlando Johnson to a 10-day contract after Johnson was released last week following the Evan Turner trade. Johnson really regressed offensively in his second pro season, and Indiana was outscored by 11 points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor, not an easy feat given how good the Pacers have been this season.
Interestingly, a report by Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reported that Sacramento worked out former Rockets first-round pick Royce White before they seemingly decided on Johnson, but Sam Amick reports that White could end up with the Kings after all. White’s return to the NBA would have caused quite a stir.
Knicks Replace Metta with Clark & Brown, Udrih claimed by Memphis
After buying out the contracts of Metta World Peace and Beno Udrih on Monday, the Knicks have made quick work of finding their defensive-minded replacements. The Knicks signed veterans Earl Clark and Shannon Brown on Thursday, the team said in a release.
Clark was bought out by Philadelphia after being acquired from Cleveland in last week’s Spencer Hawes trade. Brown spent time with the Spurs and Wizards this season.
Both World Peace and Udrih could be appealing to contending teams. World Peace’s defense could make him a target of a team like the Clippers, while Memphis actually claimed Udrih off waivers, saving the Knicks some luxury tax money. The Grizzlies reportedly had interest in the offseason before he chose to sign on with the Knicks.
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.
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.
Atlanta also made a minor player swap, releasing Dexter Pittman and bringing second-round pick Mike Muscala over from Europe.
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.
Boston, looking for some players who could be in their future plans on cap-friendly contracts, worked out former Dallas guard Roddy Beaubois this week according to CSNNW.
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.