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| Image Courtesy: Bleacher Report |
- The Philadelphia 76ers have not been a legit player in Free Agency for some time so when the team did not make a move at 12:01 AM on Saturday you had to wonder, are they going to defer to next years free agency class? It seemed that way as the day before the only rumblings you heard about the Sixers going into Free Agency was that they were going to target Celtics F/C Amir Johnson, who they ended up signing only a couple hours after making their big splash to a 1-year $11 Million deal, and that they were only going to give out 1-year deals to players that they sought out in this years class. Lets face it, the Sixers obviously have been tanking and in doing so they never brought in shooters because scoring was not the main objective in this time, heck the best shooter has been Robert Covington, who in his best year shot 37% from behind the 3-Point line. In comes former LA Clippers Shooting Guard J.J. Redick, who would agree to a 1-year $23 Million deal to play in Philadelphia for the 2017-18 season. That being said as this young nucleus has been built, they finally addressed the need for a shooter with the addition of Redick, because even though the First Overall Pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, G Markelle Fultz, is known for his shooting ability he is not that guy who will knock down 3's on a consistent basis. What Redick also brings is experience and I think he will be a fantastic locker room guy for a team filled with mainly players sub-23 years old. The biggest thing that Redick is going to do for this team is open up space on the floor for the young nucleus of talent on this team and provided more opportunities for the young guns to score because of how much of a threat Redick is from beyond the arc, something this team has been missing for many, many, many years!
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| Image Courtesy: Twitter.com: Adrian Wojnarowski's Twitter @wojespn |
- Getting this twitter notification (above) as I was driving on 76 heading to Ocean City, NJ for the 4th of July was a fantastic feeling, some would say an early beginning to the fireworks for the city of Philadelphia. When Sixers GM Bryan Colangelo said they were only dealing out 1-year deals I was very weary of this happening because as I mentioned before I thought Redick would look to get years along with the big money. For Amir Johnson to get a 1-year deal that made sense but for J.J. Redick I thought it didn't since he is 33 years old and hasn't gotten that big deal in his career that he has earned by being a career sharp shooter in a league where the 3-point has become ever more important with each passing year. This is a great move for both parties! For the Sixers this allows them to see what they have in Redick, see if he fits with this new unknown young nucleus of talent, it helps them project how many years they have left with him if they would like to sign him to a new deal next season, and most importantly it gives them financial flexibility next year as there are some interesting Free Agents in next years class. For J.J. Redick this deal is great for him as $23 Million for a player who is mostly known for shooting is a very big deal for a specific talent and he can choose if he wants to be here next year or if he wants to chase after the money again next season with a team like the Brooklyn Nets who will just hand it out like candy on Halloween. Word is that the Brooklyn Nets were offering similar money with more years as well to go along with the fact that Redick has a place near the Brooklyn area, so why wouldn't he go there. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski was able to get in touch with the 33 year old sharp shooter and find out why he chose to take a 1-year deal with the Sixers and it was a pretty simple answer, "This is where I wanted to be". The Process really has come full circle and all of a sudden it has become a destination for Free Agents across the NBA moving forward. It also helps when Redick and Sixers Rookie Phenom Center Joel Embiid bond over a soccer game as seen in the picture below!
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| Image Courtesy: Twitter.com: @JoelEmbiid's Twitter |
About J.J. Redick
- Jonathan Clay "J.J." Redick, born June 24, 1984 (33 years old).
- 6 Ft 4 in., 190 lbs.
- Born in Cookeville TN, Played High School Ball in Roanoke, VA at Cave Springs HS
- McDonald's All American in 2002 (Won MVP of Game)
- Was National College Player of the Year at Duke University in 2006.
- 11th Player Selected in NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic in 2006.
- Spent Career with Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks, and Los Angeles Clippers.
- Career % Stats: 44.7 FG%, 41.5% 3P%, 88.8% FT%.
- Career Per Game Stats: 11.9 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 1.8 APG.
