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Reports: Suns, Fredette agree to two-year deal

Phoenix is also shutting down forward Kelly Oubre Jr. for season

Jimmermania is apparently headed back in the NBA.

Former lottery pick Jimmer Fredette has reportedly agreed to a two-year deal with the Phoenix Suns, bringing the former BYU standout back to the NBA after a four-season absence. Shams Charania of The Athletic — who first broke the news — reports Fredette and the Suns have agreed to a two-year deal, the second year of which is a team option. News of the deal was also reported by ESPN.com and 98.7 FM Arizona Sports.

While that addition seems imminent for the Suns, they will also reportedly be without a player for the rest of this season. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports forward Kelly Oubre Jr. will have a minor procedure on his left thumb and miss the rest of 2018-19.

Oubre is expected to miss four to six weeks, but should make a full recovery. He is a restricted free agent this summer and has averaged 20 points and 5.7 rebounds per game since becoming a starter after the All-Star break. The Suns picked up Oubre in a trade with the Washington Wizards in December.

Overall, Oubre is averaging 15.2 ppg this season — a career-best — and, per Wojnarowski, is expected to be a priority for the Suns this summer in free agency.

Fredette has spent the past three seasons playing for Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association. This season in the CBA, Fredette is averaging 36 points per game on 47.6 percent shooting (41.9 percent on 3-pointers), 5.6 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.

Phoenix’s decision to add Fredette gives it another prospect to evaluate as the season draws near its end. The Suns are 17-55 and the worst team in the Western Conference, having missed the playoffs for a ninth straight season.

The last time Fredette played in the NBA was in the 2015-16 season, when he logged six total games as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans (four games) and New York Knicks (two games). He was called up by the Pelicans in November 2015 when he was a member of the NBA G League’s Westchester Knicks. He was then called by the New York Knicks on Feb. 22, 2016, but returned to the G League on March 6, 2016.

Fredette was taken in the 2017 G League Expansion Draft by the Memphis Hustle, but he opted to sign with a CBA team instead. The 10th overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2010 Draft, Fredette has appeared in 235 career NBA games with the Sacramento Kings (2011-14), Chicago Bulls (2013-14), Pelicans and Knicks.

In his NBA career, Fredette has averaged 6 ppg, 1 rpg and 1.4 apg while shooting 41.2 percent overall and 38.1 percent on 3-pointers.

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