Philadelphia 76ers: Losing J.J. Redick is a deceptively crushing blow

Often described as the ‘forgotten piece’ of the Philadelphia 76ers’ starting five, losing J.J. Redick to the New Orleans Pelicans is a crushing blow.

When J.J. Redick initially joined the Philadelphia 76ers in July of 2017, it looked like he’d found the final landing-place of his NBA career.

Fast forward two summers and a one-year, $12.25 million contract and Redick is now a member of the New Orleans Pelicans; signed to a two-year, $26.5 million deal.

And for fans in the 215, this is a crushing loss.

Sure, Redick isn’t a complete player, and would often draw ire for his propensity to run around the court on off ball screens, but in only two seasons with the Sixers he knocked down 433 3 pointers on 1065 attempts – a clip that will be incredibly hard to replace with the players currently on their roster.

At this point, you kind of have to wonder what Elton Brand is thinking.

Typically, teams re-sign their own free agents, especially when they have Bird Rights that allow them to sign over the cap. While Redick was never going to get a max deal, or even a long-term deal from Philly, they could have easily retained him regardless of how free agency turned out.

Honestly, Redick didn’t even get that much of a pay bump to take his talents to New Orleans, as he’s making about $13.25 million as opposed to $12.25 million.

That’s basically nothing.

While we may never know exactly why Redick chose to join the super young Pelicans, at least until his next podcast, it feels like he felt unwanted in Philly and after almost leaving town last summer for a deal with the Pacers, it looks like another summer of strong-armed negotiations was simply the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Whether it’s because of money, pride, or his perceived role, J.J. Redick is gone and the Philadelphia 76ers are going to have to get creative to replace his production.

Conventional wisdom would suggest that a team should surround Ben Simmons with A-plus shooters at every position. No matter how you slice it, this move feels like a step in the wrong direction, even if the team somehow lands Josh Richardson in a sign-and-trade for Jimmy Butler.