Perhaps the most under the radar move throughout the entire NBA offseason, it was paramount for the Philadelphia 76ers to retain shooting guard JJ Redick.
Redick inked a one-year deal with the club last summer and played incredibly well as a complement to blossoming superstars Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. Though Redick and the Sixers were ultimately able to hammer out another deal, there was a time when Redick thought he wouldn’t be back in Philly for this upcoming season. The Duke product revealed on his podcast that he was close to signing with the Indiana Pacers before the Sixers altered their offer last minute (h/t Slam).
“I almost signed with Indy. I was an hour away, two hours away, I was very close. I had a 5:00 p.m. deadline… it was 12:30, 1:00 in the afternoon when Philly changed the offer… I had a whole conversation with Nate McMillian.
“I had a similar mindset to DeMarcus going into free agency… if your incumbent team doesn’t offer, you need to go get an offer.”
A major player in Philly’s success last season, JJ Redick was exactly the sharpshooter and shot creator the Sixers needed to make sure their offense operated smoothly. With Simmons and Embiid boasting interior-oriented games, Redick provided the perfect x-factor from the perimeter.
Potentially joining the Pacers, Redick would’ve gone from one Eastern Conference contender to another. However, it’s fair to say he ultimately made the correct decision as Oladipo already occupies the starting 2-guard role in Indy, while the Sixers look like a legit title threat in an Eastern Conference that lost LeBron James.
