J.J. Redick signed a free-agent contract to join the budding Philadelphia 76ers this offseason, leaving the Clippers after spending four full seasons with the team. He was reportedly pursued by a handful of teams outside of the Sixers, including the Brooklyn Nets and Houston Rockets, but Philadelphia offered him the contract that made the most sense.
Redick, who is set to make $23 million with Philadelphia this season, came close to signing with the Rockets early in free agency before choosing the Sixers. He recently appeared on The HoopsHype Podcast to discuss why he decided against joining former teammate Chris Paul in Houston:
“They offered four [years] and then they went three. Daryl [Morey] always has a million things going on, like in A Beautiful Mind with all of the stuff written on the chalkboard. I’m sure he had four or five deals out there [he was working on]. The day before free agency, I thought it was a four-year deal. Chris Paul and I talked for about 30 minutes the night before free agency started. I wanted to go there.
“[It didn’t work out] – some of it was numbers and some of it was other factors like relocating the family and – I hate to say this – but you never know with Daryl and how he operates. A three-year deal could really be a six-month deal if you get dealt at the trade deadline for a superstar as part of a package of six.”
With Houston changing its offer at the final minute, Redick chose to take his talents elsewhere and accepted a lucrative one-year deal with the 76ers.
Redick, a 11-year veteran, is still among the top outside shooters in the league. Now on a team focused on building its young core, he’ll likely see his minutes decrease this season as he ventures into a new role of becoming a mentor and locker room leader.
Redick also mentioned on the podcast that Brooklyn offered a “respectable” two-year deal for his services, and that the Miami Heat also had interest in signing him before he made his choice.
