Happy Trails, Jimmer Fredette; San Antonio Spurs Waive Shooting Guard

If Jimmer Fredette was going to succeed anywhere in the NBA, it was with the San Antonio Spurs. The roster could complement his strengths and hide Fredette’s weaknesses.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work out for the shooting guard, who will soon be searching for a new basketball home.

According to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports, the Spurs plan to waive the former first-round pick.

The San Antonio Spurs are waiving guard Jimmer Fredette today, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 21, 2015

Though the 26-year-old had potential to become an elite three-point shooter, poor defense and inconsistent offense has doomed Fredette yet again.

He appeared in just two of San Antonio’s five preseason games, misfiring on all three attempts from beyond the arc and connecting on 2-of-10 shots overall. Fredette did nothing to positively separate himself from Kyle Anderson, Rasual Butler and the rest of the swingmen.

For those who loved watching Fredette torch the net at the college level, this is a heartbreaking day. Perhaps he’ll receive a call for a tryout elsewhere, but Oct. 21, 2015, might be the day the Jimmer Dream died.

Now, before we get too far into this far-too-emotional farewell, let’s make this clear: Fredette wasn’t going to be a superstar. At best, he’s a role player who must be surrounded by strong defenders.

But fans—and yes, even the media—have players they want to succeed, no matter if the reason doesn’t mesh with common basketball sense. Jimmer Fredette is one of those players because of his days at BYU.

His style of play wasn’t sustainable at the professional level. If Fredette regularly attempted the 28-foot three-pointers in the NBA, his trips to the bench would’ve come much faster.

But man, was that guy awesome to watch.

That shooting prowess bumped the electric guard into the top 10 of the 2011 draft, and he spent most of three seasons with the Sacramento Kings. Despite Fredette shooting 40.2 percent from downtown during his tenure, however, the franchise reasonably decided their future didn’t include him.

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So, after being waived, he caught on with the Chicago Bulls for the rest of the year but played a minor and irregular role off the bench. Last season, Fredette appeared in 50 games for the New Orleans Pelicans. However, he only buried nine of his 48 triples and was a defensive liability.

Nevertheless, the Spurs offered Fredette what was probably his final realistic NBA chance. A couple months and a few preseason “DNP Coach’s Decision” outings later, here we are.

Perhaps the dream won’t die, and he’ll find another opportunity to sit on a chair at the end of the bench.

But if San Antonio couldn’t find a place for Fredette and basketball dreams of 2010, maybe no one can.

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