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- Pelicans guard J.J. Redick is reportedly available via trade
- Redick is a fit on numerous contenders despite a slow start to the season
- Which teams make most sense as a Redick landing spot?
After a flurry of support and desire to get the New Orleans Pelicans into the NBA’s bubble last season, the team fell a little bit short in reaching the Western Conference playoffs. This season has not started much better for them, as they currently find themselves near the basement in the conference.
Pelicans shooting guard J.J. Redick had personally been a part of teams that had made the NBA playoffs in 13 consecutive seasons, a streak which ended when New Orleans failed to qualify for the postseason last year. If the team doesn’t bounce back enough to be in play for the 7-10 seed play in tournament this season, management may look to see what they can get from a contender for the sharpshooter’s services.
It also helps that Redick is on the final year of his contract, and will come off the books after the season regardless of where he finishes the year.
Let’s examine three teams that Redick could possibly be a fit on.
Help depleted Pacers
There’s no conceivable way that the Indiana Pacers will miss the playoffs, even in an improved Eastern Conference. While their top end talent doesn’t rival that of the Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks or Philadelphia 76ers, the Pacers have a really solid core of players who are consistent and don’t beat themselves.
Indiana is actually getting great perimeter shooting from the likes of Malcolm Brogdon, Doug McDermott and Justin Holiday this year, who are all making threes at better than a 40% clip.
But to continue to expect that level of efficiency from Holiday, who is a career 36% shooter from downtown, and McDermott, who is playing the most minutes of his career, might be a stretch as the season continues to unfold. With T.J. Warren’s uncertain status for the remainder of the season, it would behoove the Pacers to take a look at acquiring Redick, who could reliably space the floor for post scorers Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner.
Spacing for Ja
After being on the precipice of the postseason last year, the Memphis Grizzlies and head coach Taylor Jenkins are hoping to finish in the top 8 this year after losing in the play in game in the NBA bubble.
The Grizzlies are a team that could use an infusion of Redick’s three point shooting, as they are currently the fourth worst in the NBA at converting from downtown. That futility from distance is not altogether that surprising, as their roster isn’t really constructed to space the floor.
The good news for them is that point guard Ja Morant appears to be over the gruesome ankle injury he suffered in December, and is fast becoming one of the best penetrating guards in the league. As the defense collapses and rotates over to cut off his forays to the rim, perimeter players should have wide open looks, and Redick only needs a little bit of daylight to be effective.
Reunion with CP3
The feelings around the playoff prospects of the Phoenix Suns have drastically changed since the beginning of the NBA re-start last July. They were only invited to the bubble as a longshot darkhorse to make the numbers work, yet the Suns could not be stopped in Orlando, finishing with an 8-0 record, and a lot to look forward to this season.
Their stock rose even higher when they acquired 10 time All Star point guard Chris Paul from the Oklahoma City Thunder in the offseason.
Even though their cornerstone players are still young (Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton), it could be argued that Phoenix is a win now team, due to the age of their leader Chris Paul. As a result, they should also be in the running for Redick’s services, as acquiring the veteran would create some of the best spacing in the league when Booker is also on the floor. Additionally, Redick and Paul played four seasons together with the Los Angeles Clippers, and should not take long to re-establish the chemistry they once had.
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