NBA Rumors: After being bought out by the New York Knicks, Brandon Jennings appears to be headed to the Charlotte Hornets or Washington Wizards
The New York Knicks waived point guard Brandon Jennings Monday morning. Why? Well, because they are the Knicks.
Jennings was having a very solid year coming off the bench for the majority of the year, and even starting 11 games (some due to the vanishing act of Derrick Rose).
BJ averaged 8.6 points, 5 assists, and 2.6 rebounds per game before his contract was bought out. It’s not like he had an unfriendly contract either. He signed only a one-year, $5 million dollar deal with the Knicks on June 8th of 2016.
Why the Knicks didnt trade him for at least a draft pick is beyond me. Or maybe it’s not. They are the Knicks.
There are already rumors swirling around about the destination of what would be a very helpful second unit point guard.
Stan Van Gundy spoke to Brandon Jennings' agent this morning. Apparently he's headed to Charlotte.
— Aaron McMann (@AaronMcMann) February 27, 2017
Apparently, the Pistons were interested in adding Jennings to help with the load of their backcourt, but they were too late. According to his agent, Brandon Jennings appears to be heading to the Charlotte Hornets.
I think this is just an OK fit. The Hornets are trending downward. Way down. They have lost 13 of their last 15 games. Charlotte is currently 25-34 which is 11th in the Eastern Conference standings.
In fairness, there are conflicting reports.
Hearing that the Hornets, despite Stan Van Gundy's prediction, are happy with the Briante Weber move and unlikely to pursue Brandon Jennings
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 27, 2017
Word is multiple teams are interested in Brandon Jennings' free agency .... with the Wizards, (via @chrisbhaynes) at the front of the line.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 27, 2017
If this rumor is true, BJ would definitely be an upgrade for the second unit from Ramon Sessions. Sessions is only getting 16 minutes per game averaging 6 points, 2 assist, and 1.5 rebound per game.
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Kemba Walker is obviously still going to be the work horse for the Hornets, but Jennings could make it more affordable for Charlotte to give Kemba a rest.
If this rumor is not true however, and BJ’s agent was pulling a quick one on SVG, I think he would be a beautiful fit on the Washington Wizards who are true contenders. Jennings would come off the bench for a second unit that needs some serious help. They just recently traded for Bojan Bogdanovic before the deadline who will help that second unit with shooting, but they are still lacking a playmaking pg who can also score. Enter Brandon Jennings.
The Wizards are one of the hottest teams in the league, sitting at 34-23, 3rd in the Eastern Conference. Stealing Jennings from free agency would give the starting 5 for Washington a breath of fresh air. They are the only 5 players on the team that average double figures, and not one of them plays less than 31 minutes a game.
The addition of BJ would even out minutes played, make sure John Wall and Bradley Beal are healthy and rested, and it would give Kelly Oubre Jr. and Bojan Bogdanovic more open looks in both transition and in half court sets.
Must Read: 2017 NBA Mock Draft 1.0: Point Guards Dominate The Top
If I’m Brandon Jennings, I am thinking hard about going to a team that is only one game up on his former team, the New York Knicks who are out of the playoffs, before making a decision.