Brandon Jennings

Brandon Jennings
PG, 6’1, 170lbs, 27 years old, 8 years of experience

Brought in to do what Burke does better than Burke was doing it, yet instead was far worse. On the season for two teams, Jennings shot 33.0% on jump shots and 49.6% at the rim, both low marks, with the jump shot making up roughly 80% of his offence. As a Wizard only, though, Jennings shot 27.4% from the field, and offered basically nothing. Jennings is shooting less and less every year, but not because he is developing much as a half point facilitator, it instead seeming to be more due to a lack of confidence in his shot. Considering the jump shot is what made him relevant, he needs the confidence in it despite his struggles with it, and must have judicious use of it. Another year like this and he will not be an NBA player any longer.

Player Plan: Expiring $1.2 million contract. Played his way out of the league on it, though. May get a minimum deal somewhere, but not here.

[...] In comparison, 36 such players have signed within those parameters in 2013. And in contrast to 2008, those names are often established quality role players who aren't quite stars and who rightly aren't being paid like it. At the top end, players like Monta Ellis, Jose Calderon, Brandon Jennings, Jarrett Jack, Jeff Teague and Carl Landry are all getting acceptable prices, perhaps $2 million annually less than they would have done five years ago. At the bottom end, established role players like Marreese Speights, Tony Allen and Chris Kaman are getting paid adequately for their useful role player production. And unlike in 2008, those deals like Kaman's are not too long. See also Greg Stiemsma, Tyler Hansbrough, Mike Dunleavy Jr, Dorell Wright and Randy Foye, none more than three years in length, some as short as one.

[...] For their part, Milwaukee, as recently as this week rumored to be considering parting with their 22-year-old leading scorer, has seemingly decided to pair him with a player a little too similar for comfort. Their backcourt is now the undersized, inefficient, defensively questionable and poorly spaced lynchpin of everything they are trying to do. Nevertheless, Ellis gives the Warriors the isolation threat that they otherwise haven’t otherwise had, and a genuinely precocious offensive talent. The fit is very awkward, more so than the bonus of Udoh and the saving of salary offsets, and the long term prognosis for the team is harldy clearer, but the talent infusion is most apparent, most evidently in the short term. As duplicable as the backcourt is, it’s a good one. On balance, of the two teams, it appears Milwaukee comes out as the trade’s winner.

Neither side can be argued as being an emphatic winner, though. The Warriors are hereby committed to a short term future of three not-quite-All-Star players, one of whom incessantly suffers different injuries, and one of whom incessantly suffers the same injury time and again. Meanwhile, the Bucks commit themselves to a backcourt of two undersized, inefficient ball-dominant scorers, a series of useful wings who can’t create any offense, an excellent young forward whose contract expires in three months, and a front court consisting of Drew Gooden and a bunch of shot-blocking specialists. And probably lose their Aussie fanbase along the way.

[...] This, of course, isn’t it for either team. By making this deal, and deliberately putting themselves in a position where the only center on the roster is the mere shell of the once capable Biedrins, and gifting away their best player for someone injured long term, the Warriors seem to be setting themselves up for a tank job. (And if they’re not, they should be. Playoff experience is valuable, but Stephen Curry’s ankle is invaluable.) Additionally, the fact that Brandon Jennings is being kept through the deadline does not necessarily mean he is being kept through the whole of his rookie deal, and with Scott Skiles about to hit the four-year anniversary mark, he is about to test his own shelf life. Milwaukee has more to do and they know it.