Philadelphia 76ers bring back J.J. Redick on one-year deal worth around $12 million
Hours after missing out on the LeBron James sweepstakes, the Philadelphia 76ers took their first step in gearing up for next season, bringing back sharpshooting veteran guard J.J. Redick on a one-year deal, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowksi.
Free agent guard JJ Redick will return to the Philadelphia 76ers on a 1-year deal in the $12M-to-13M range, league sources tell ESPN
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2018
Redick shot 42 percent from three last year
Redick, who just turned 34, made a strong debut in Philadelphia, connecting on 42 percent of his attempts from deep, good for 15th in the league. The former Duke Blue Devil started 70 games for the 76ers, who reached the playoffs for the first time since 2012. Philadelphia defeated Miami in five games in the opening round before falling to Boston in five in the Eastern Conference semifinals. For the year, Redick averaged a career-high 17.1 points per game on 46 percent overall shooting. He also shot over 90 percent from the free-throw line.
Redick has been one of the league’s most dependable catch-and-shoot players over the course of his career. He has spent time with Orlando, Milwaukee and the Los Angeles Clippers, as well as Philadelphia, and only once has he failed to make at least 40 percent of his threes in his 13 seasons.
The 76ers can now pursue more free agents
Given Redick’s role as an established veteran on a young Philadelphia team, the 76ers were smart to bring him back. His ability to knock down shots from deep makes him a natural fit alongside Rookie of the Year winner Ben Simmons (one of the best passers in the game) and big man Joel Embiid.
By taking significantly less money than he could have, Redick will continue to play a pivotal role on a team that has NBA Finals aspirations while giving Philadelphia continued financial flexibility. Redick signed a one-year, $23-million dollar contract last offseason.
The 76ers are heavily involved in trying to trade for Kawhi Leonard, per the New York Times’ Marc Stein.
Among the Sixers' planned top selling points to LeBron James' agent Rich Paul today: Philly believes it still has a real chance to win the Kawhi Leonard trade sweepstakes, league sources say
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 1, 2018
Even if the 76ers miss out on Leonard, they will surely be active trying to boost their bench, which struggled last year and already lost Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova this offseason. The team has plenty of cap space to add another significant signing or two, depending on how it approaches the deals of some of its current players.
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