“Having a truly gravity-elite shooter truly changes the dynamic for Ben (Simmons) and Joel (Embiid),” Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said in November. “Those who’ve watched the Sixers up close … know that when Joel and Ben have had that, it’s actually insane how good those lineups and how good those teams played when everyone was healthy.”
Morey was explaining the thinking behind his draft-night trade for Seth Curry, but the “gravity-elite shooter” he referred to was JJ Redick. Now, a little less than two months before the March 25 trade deadline, it appears a Redick-Sixers reunion is a possibility.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Sunday that the Pelicans “have focused on the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics as potential trade destinations,” and that all three teams have expressed interest in the 36-year-old. “No deal is imminent yet,” Charania reports.
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SIGN UP HERE Though Redick hasn’t shot well early this season (33.6 percent from the floor, 29.8 percent from three-point range), he has a tremendous shooting track record and meshed very well with Sixers stars Embiid and Simmons during his 2017-19 stint with the team. Redick-Embiid-Simmons lineups had an outstanding plus-15.2 net rating in 2,392 possessions during the 2018-19 season, per Cleaning the Glass, and a plus-17.2 mark the year prior.
Redick also has familiarity and past success with Sixers head coach Doc Rivers, averaging 15.8 points and shooting 44.0 percent from three-point range during his stint with the Clippers.
In terms of potential offensive fit, the concerns are negligible. Defense would likely be a worry, as it sometimes was during Redick’s time under former Sixers head coach Brett Brown. The Sixers’ bench, with the exception of Matisse Thybulle, is not stocked with top-notch defenders. Regardless of whether he eventually found his shooting stroke, Redick would undoubtedly add veteran know-how.
He’s in the final season of a two-year deal with New Orleans and set to make $13 million in 2020-21. His salary could prove a deterrent for the Sixers, although a deal would be doable. While a Danny Green-Redick swap likely wouldn’t make sense, the Sixers could theoretically send the Pelicans multiple end-of-bench pieces to match salaries.
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Notably, the Sixers have the majority of their taxpayer mid-level exception remaining — approximately $4.8 million, according to Spotrac — which could become relevant with a buyout candidate like Redick.