3 Players the Sacramento Kings held on to for too long

1. Jimmer Fredette

In 2011, the Milwaukee Bucks had the tenth overall pick in the NBA Draft. They selected Jimmer Fredette, who was then traded to Sacramento, in a draft that still had Klay Thompson and Kawhi Leonard available. 

Fredette came off a record-breaking senior season in college but his game never quite translated to the NBA. Of course, no one could have foreseen that, and when he became a Sacramento King, fans were ecstatic. 

That initial excitement was only followed by disappointment, however. As a rookie, he only averaged 7.6 points on 38.6 percent shooting from the field, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. Many rookies, even lottery picks, often struggle when they first come to the NBA, but Fredette did not improve. 

Thus, his minutes and shot attempts went down, and people quickly realized that he was not destined to be an NBA player. On February 27, 2014, after almost three seasons, the Kings finally bought out his contract. 

Less than three seasons is not an incredibly long time to hold on to a lottery pick, but by buying out his contract, the Kings got nothing in return for him. While there was still hope that he would figure things out, teams might have traded for him, but the Kings held on to him until the last moment.