Philadelphia 76ers: J.J. Redick deal just pushed team into playoffs
The Philadelphia 76ers just made a huge splash in the Free Agent market by signing former Los Angeles Clippers sharpshooter J.J. Redick to a one-year $23M deal. The first thing you must do is block out the money. Players are getting this kind of contract by just putting on a pair of sneaks. It’s nothing new. What needs to be addressed is the fact that the 76ers just built themselves a playoff team for the 2017 season.
The Sixers have stayed away from most trade and FA rumors as they have managed to not show their hands this offseason.
Bringing in Redick gives the team the outside shooting they desperately craved. With Markelle Fultz leading the charge at PG, and Redick now penciled in at SG, that makes way for Ben Simmons to play his natural position– Small Forward. While you’re still focused on the money– think about what that does for the offense.
Fultz is a penetrator and shooter. Redick shot 45 percent from beyond the arc last season while attempting 6 per game. Simmons is a slasher while Joel Embiid and Dario Saric will handle the post duties. For a team who lacked shooters, they now have two deadly snipers in the backcourt. What happens when the ball tossed into the post and the defense collapses? Embiid or Saric will now have two options on the perimeter to make a defense pay.
Yes, the money is a bit much but when it’s time to start winning you must pay the cost to be the boss. The 76ers are going all in this year with a young group of guys. The best part about the Redick deal is that it’s just for one year. No long-term. The 76ers are taking a calculated risk and it may pay off dividends this upcoming season.
Looking at the Sixers roster and the rest of the teams in the Eastern Conference it’s not hard to say that they will do no worse than a 6th seed.
Remember, this is still the same bunch who won 18 more games than they did the previous season with less talent on the floor. Embiid was hurt much of the year. Simmons missed the entire season and Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel was either riding the pine or shipped off to play elsewhere. Now the team is whole and in a matter of weeks have added to explosive offensive weapons in Redick and Fultz. And to be honest, they will get another in Simmons who technically will be his rookie year.
You can be mad at the price tag it took to get Redick here but by the end of the season, you will be cheering this move.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
