NBA
NBA PM: Bazemore Weighs Free Agency Options
Brooklyn Nets big man Mason Plumlee talks about the drama surrounding Jason Kidd’s departure, playing for new head coach Lionel Hollins, participating in the Orlando Summer League and more.
Bazemore Weighs Free Agency Options
Some players enjoy going through free agency โ being courted, hearing from multiple teams and weighing their options. Other players canโt stand the fact that their future is up in the air and they just want the process to end as soon as possible.
Unrestricted free agent Kent Bazemore, who spent last season with the Los Angeles Lakers, falls into the latter category. While his name has come up quite a bit in the early stages of free agency since he has received interest from 10 teams, he is just looking forward to signing his name on a dotted line and moving on with his NBA career.
โItโs really testing my patience; itโs been a little nerve-racking,โ Bazemore told Basketball Insiders. โEveryone is trying to make room for LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony so guys like myself, we have to wait patiently to see if they have enough room to even get us on the roster or offer us some money.โ
While Bazemore is looking forward to ending this process, he does appreciate that so many teams have been in contact with his camp.
Bazemore has meetings scheduled with the Atlanta Hawks, San Antonio Spurs, Boston Celtics and Charlotte Hornets, and has been contacted by the Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors. Considering he knows what itโs like to be on the outside of the league looking in after being undrafted in 2012, he isnโt taking the interest for granted.
โThatโs been the thing thatโs kept me from jumping off a bridge,โ Bazemore said with a laugh. โItโs real gratifying. Being undrafted, making the summer league team and playing down in the D-League has actually paid off. The work Iโve put in on those levels – the D-League and summer league – has definitely opened a lot of teamsโ eyes. It was an unfortunate situation for myself with Golden State, I did make the team, but they were so guard heavy. My first year with Jarrett Jack, Steph [Curry], Klay [Thompson], Harrison [Barnes] and even Draymond [Green] playing some three and then the next year they brought in Andre Iguodala, the minutes werenโt there. I was fortunate enough to go down to LA, where there were a lot of minutes out there on the floor and I was able to kind of show [what I can do]. All that Iโve been through has definitely paid off.โ
In Los Angeles, Bazemore made the most of the opportunity he was given. He was acquired by L.A. at the trade deadline in exchange for Steve Blake, and thrived when given minutes. In 23 games, he averaged 13.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals in 28 minutes per game. Prior to tearing a tendon in his right foot late in the season, he had emerged as a significant contributor for the Lakers.
The Lakers have met with Bazemoreโs camp since free agency started and expressed some interest in re-signing him. When asked if heโd be open to returning to the Lakers, Bazemore didnโt hesitate.
โSure,โ Bazemore said. โWith Kobe [Bryant] coming back, one of the greatest players to ever touch the ball, I could learn a lot from him. Thatโd be great. I learned so much from Steve Nash and Pau Gasol last season, just being out there playing with them. If I made a mistake, they would be quick to pull me to the side and say, โHey look, this is what you should of doneโ or, โThis what you should look for.โ Those guys have a track record where have played in the big games, theyโve been to the Finals, theyโve won championships, so it would be great to play with a guy like [Kobe], who is very demanding. A lot of people give Kobe a bad rap because he is very demanding, but with a guy like that, Iโm all ears. This is a guy who knows how to win. He has a different method of getting his point across to you, but itโs within the context of the game, and I’ll do anything to get better. Iโd love to return to that franchise, but weโll see how things shake out.โ
Bazemore speaks very highly about his time in Los Angeles, donning purple and gold.
โThe swagger and the prestige of that franchise, that organization, speaks for itself,โ Bazemore said. โThey have the second-most championships in the NBA, all the greats on that wall in the back and then actually being able to share a locker room with my childhood favorite player Kobe Bryant, it was an amazing experience. To be able to run up and down with the Laker logo in the middle of floor, it was crazy. I remember staying up to 1 a.m. watching those games late at night on the East Coast as a kid. Then to actually be playing on that court, scoring baskets, it was [surreal]. It just so happened, my luck, that the first game we played was against the Celtics, one of the greatest rivalries of all-time, and I had a pretty good showing, so it was great.โ
As Bazemore weighs all of his options, the most important factor to him is playing time. He wants to land in a situation where heโll be able to receive significant minutes and be compensated at a fair rate based on the market.
โRight now, I still need to play,โ Bazemore said. โI only played 23 games down there with heavy minutes for the Lakers; I only averaged like six minutes with the Warriors. My [sample] size is very small. I just need a chance to prove myself again, so minutes are definitely the first thing Iโm after. Everything else is just basketball. You hear a lot of guys talking about the bad cities of the NBA and all of that, but a guy like me, I just want another opportunity to go out there and show that I can really be a great player in this league.
โFor me, the biggest thing is we just want to have leverage. We want to make this team offer more than the last and see if the situation is going to be different as far as minutes. One team may be planning to give us a lot of minutes with less money and vice versa. You never know. My agent Austin Walton will gather everything, gather all the pros and cons for each team, which he is very good at, and weโll sit down and figure it out. Like I said, the biggest thing for me right now is just being able to play. That definitely comes before everything else.โ
In recent days, fellow free agent shooting guards like Jodie Meeks and C.J. Miles have received lucrative contracts, and Bazemore could be next in line to get paid. He has shown that he can be very productive when put on the floor, and he has a reputation around the league for being an excellent teammate and outstanding individual in the community. Every team could use a player like Bazemore, who is willing to do anything he can to help his team win when heโs on the court and completely supportive of his teammates.
โI bring energy, effort and I do all the things that other guys are hesitant to do like guard the best player, dive on the floor, all the little things,โ Bazemore said. โIโm a great person in the community and I like to bring some fun to the games. I like to make it as fun as possible. I want the fans to get kind of a hands-on experience. Iโm always out in the community, doing different stuff just so they can know me more. I want them to be like, โHey, thatโs my friend Kentโ instead of, ‘Thatโs No. 6 for the Lakers’ or whatever team I end up going to, so when good things happen to me they can feel a part of it. Community outreach is something I really hang my hat on.โ
But for now, Bazemore waits. He has meetings with teams throughout this week, but he understands that he likely wonโt be able to finalize an agreement until the big-name players like James and Anthony make their much-anticipated decisions.
โThe water stops running for a reason – theyโre arguably the best players in the league and itโs a very big decision,โ Bazemore said. โLeBron choosing so late last time, leaving Cleveland, Iโm almost certain he didnโt take long on purpose – thereโs just a lot of things that go into it. When you go to meet a team, Iโm sure they show you who theyโre going after and [the stars] can probably weigh in on who they want on their team, and itโs a lot of things that go into it. At the end of the day, when you do choose your team, you want the best thing for you. For me, it would be minutes. For LeBron, he wants to win a few more championships. Itโs a lot of factors that go into it; theyโre just taking their time. With things like that, they canโt make rash decisions or go through this quickly. I understand it.โ
Even though Bazemore is receiving plenty of interest on the open market, he says the chip on his shoulder isnโt going anywhere after being overlooked for much of his life.
โThis is second nature to me,โ Bazemore said. โGrowing up, I wasnโt heavily recruited out of high school. When I got to college, I used to be the last person picked my red-shirt year; I went from the last person picked and then when I left I was the guy picking the teams. Itโs always been a journey for me as far as proving people wrong and leap-frogging people every year. The NBA ranked players my first year in the league, and I was number 499. Then, I jumped 167 spots to 332. Things like that are what I really hold onto. I let my game do the talking. I could easily walk around and say, โHey, Iโm underrated and yaโll think Iโm sorry or yaโll aren’t giving me the respect I deserve,โ but you just have to go out there and show people why you should be talked about as one of the best in the league. I just work hard and let everything else take care of itself.โ
Bazemore has no timetable to make his free agency decision, but heโs looking forward to ending the process as soon as possible.
The Latest Free Agency News and Rumors
Today has been a busy day in the NBA, with a number of agreements surfacing.
Everyone is waiting to see what happens with LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh, but in the meantime a number of role players have agreed to contracts including Josh McRoberts, Danny Granger and Aaron Gray.
For all of the latest free agency news and rumors – on the stars and role players alike – be sure to check out Basketball Insiders’ free agency diary. We update it whenever something surfaces, so we’ll keep you connected throughout the NBA’s free agency period.