Best NBA Landing Spots for Free-Agent Point Guard Jordan Farmar
Hey, NBA! Does anyone need a backup point guard? How about a worldly veteran with championship experience? Or someone who can play off the ball as a spot-up shooter?
Well, you're in luck, because Jordan Farmar is back on the market. The Los Angeles Clippers officially waived Farmar on Friday, just six months after signing him to a two-year deal. According to ESPNLosAngeles.com's Arash Markazi, the Clippers tried to trade Farmar, but they failed to find any takers for the UCLA product, whose player option for 2015-16 complicated discussions.
The arrival of Austin Rivers, the son of Clippers coach/team president Doc Rivers, by way of a three-team trade earlier this week, rendered Farmar expendable. His on-court performance, though, had put such a split in play well before that. Through his 36 games for the Clippers, Farmar had posted career lows in minutes (14.1) and field-goal percentage (.386) and saw his points (4.6) and assists (1.9) slip accordingly.
"I just never felt I had a real role," Farmar told The Los Angeles Times' Brad Turner. "We talked in the offseason about what my job was going to be. The opportunity just wasn’t the same. It was never time for me to really ever get going and feel comfortable and feel like I had a place on the team."
Now, Farmar is free to find a better fit elsewhere. These five teams should be able to offer him just that and perhaps more.
Los Angeles Lakers
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Farmar might not have to search far and wide for another team if he doesn't want to. The Los Angeles Lakers, who share a city and an arena with the Clippers, could use his services.
Steve Nash was deemed out for 2014-15 before the season began. Ronnie Price, who's been surprisingly solid for this squad at times, is battling an elbow injury. Jeremy Lin has only recently shown signs of life, perhaps now that he's grown accustomed to Kobe Bryant's death stare, though he and the Mamba still don't always see eye to eye.
As for Jordan Clarkson...well, he should probably be playing more, as one of the few prospects with any real potential on the roster, but good luck convincing Byron Scott to turn the rookie loose.
Scott would probably feel more comfortable handing the reins of the offense over to an eight-year veteran like Farmar. Bryant figures to be fine with it, too; Farmar played a pivotal part off the bench in each of the Lakers' last two title runs, during his first go-round in purple and gold.
His second stint in L.A. last season didn't go quite so swimmingly, though he did knock down 43.8 percent of his threes under Mike D'Antoni. According to ESPNLosAngeles.com's Arash Markazi, Farmar might've re-upped with his hometown team this past summer had the Lakers courted him more in free agency:
"I'm sure Jordan Farmar would have been happier staying with the Lakers and playing with Nick Young. Not sure that was an option for him.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) January 15, 2015"
"Jordan Farmar figured the Lakers had moved on when he signed with the Clippers. Lots of Lakers fans seem to think he spurned them.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) January 15, 2015"
Given how harshly the reality of their situation has been brought to bear so far this season, perhaps the Lakers will seize the Mulligan before them and, at the very least, appease the Staples Center faithful by bringing back a former fan favorite.
Sacramento Kings
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Even if the Lakers pass on him (or vice versa), Farmar could find his next job in the Golden State.
No, not with the Warriors, who already have Shaun Livingston backing up Stephen Curry, but with the Sacramento Kings.
According to The Sacramento Bee's Jason Jones, the Kings and Clippers discussed swapping backup point guards, with the injured Ramon Sessions potentially going back to L.A. Obviously, nothing came of those discussions, though the lack of a trade wouldn't preclude Sacramento from pursuing Farmar now.
The Kings certainly have enough familiar faces on their roster to make Farmar feel comfortable—chief among them Darren Collison and Ryan Hollins with whom he played at UCLA.
Ironically, should Farmar take his talents to California's capital, he'd likely serve as a second-stringer behind Collison, who was Jordan's understudy in Westwood once upon a time.
Cleveland Cavaliers
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Speaking of familiar faces in new places, Farmar could head to Ohio to reunite with David Blatt, under whom he played with Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2011 and who now has his hands full with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"It would be something for me to think about," Farmar told The Los Angeles Times' Brad Turner about the possibility of playing for the Cavaliers. "I definitely think I have a lot to offer. I think I could fit on that team, as well as a lot of teams. It’s just about, what is my job going to be? Am I going to be able to be myself?"
Few in Cleveland seem able to be themselves these days, Blatt included. Nonetheless, the Cavs could use whatever Farmar might bring to the table as a floor general. As it happens, they've already kicked Farmar's proverbial tires, per the Northeast Ohio Media Group's Chris Haynes.
Farmar's capable of lightening the load currently borne by Kyrie Irving, who's proven injury-prone since before he first arrived in the NBA. He can also operate as a spot-up shooter, courtesy of a three-point stroke that Farmar improved while overseas, next to Irving and LeBron James.
If nothing else, Farmar's experience, under pressure and otherwise, dwarfs that of Matthew Dellavedova, Irving's current backup. Dellavedova's future may be more promising than Farmar's, but the Cavs have enough issues to address without having to school another youngster in the ways of the NBA.
Cleveland may not be in the best shape right now, but if Farmar wants to compete for something meaningful in the months to come, latching onto the Cavs' Big 3 would probably be his best bet.
New York Knicks
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Farmar wouldn't find anything remotely resembling a path back to the postseason in the Big Apple. The New York Knicks, losers of a franchise-record 16 straight games, are a league-worst 5-36 at the half-way point of the season. They might not have hit rock-bottom, either, since Carmelo Anthony has yet to opt for surgery on his gimpy knee.
At this point, no single player could possibly rescue the Knicks from their current abyss—certainly not Farmar, a guy who's made a decent career out of coming off the bench. But this season in New York isn't about resurrection; rather, it's about tearing down the team's toxic roster, ripping out whatever rot has eaten away at the organization's roots for the better part of two decades and planting the seeds of a winning culture predicated on team president Phil Jackson's precepts.
To that end, Farmar could be incredibly valuable to the Knicks. He's intimately familiar with both the triangle offense on the court and the Zen Master's signature manner of doing business off of it from his four years on Jackson's Lakers. More importantly, he knows firsthand that Jackson's ways can and do work; Farmar wouldn't have two bejeweled rings of his own if they didn't.
Jackson's already filled the Knicks' coaching staff with his acolytes: Derek Fisher at the head; Kurt Rambis and Jim Cleamons in support. It would make even more sense for Jackson to enlist Farmar as his not-so-secret mole among the Knicks players.
Miami Heat
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Pat Riley has more reason to go after Farmar than the opportunity to needle Jackson, Riles' longtime rival.
The Miami Heat need—and have been hard after—all the backcourt help they can get. According to Yahoo Sports' Marc J. Spears, the Heat are among a handful of teams that have reached out to another recently bought-out guard, Nate Robinson. Norris Cole, Miami's on-again-off-again starter, has been the subject of trade rumors and, per The Miami Herald's Joseph Goodman, is well aware of it:
"NORRIS COLE on trade rumors: “Until I hear something and see the writing on the paper, I’m a member of the team I’m on now."
— Joseph Goodman (@JoeGoodmanJr) January 16, 2015"
Clearly, the Heat are on the prowl for help at the point. In fact, things have gotten so bad on South Beach that Dwyane Wade will be spending significant time as the team's floor general:
"Dwyane Wade indicated to the Miami Herald that he's going to be playing more point guard going forward.
— Joseph Goodman (@JoeGoodmanJr) January 13, 2015"
"WADE on playing point: "At this point, when you’re as many games under .500 as we are, it’s about doing whatever to help you win."
— Joseph Goodman (@JoeGoodmanJr) January 13, 2015"
"WADE: "I mean, if anyone is statistics watching right now then that’s just a shame. We need to just get some wins."
— Joseph Goodman (@JoeGoodmanJr) January 13, 2015"
That is, once his gimpy hamstring heals up.
In the meantime, the Heat can help themselves now and make things easier for Wade later by adding Farmar. As for Jordan, he'd be leaving behind one lower-tier playoff team in a warm-weather city for another.
Josh Martin covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.
