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Following the 2022 NBA trade deadline, the Philadelphia 76ers are one of the main talking points around the league. With just hours to go before the 3 p.m. ET deadline on Thursday, Daryl Morey finally put an end to the Ben Simmons saga. The former No. 1 pick is heading to Brooklyn along with Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks in exchange for James Harden and Paul Millsap.
Morey remained patient in his trade efforts and was rewarded greatly. Now, the Sixers add an All-Star next to Joel Embiid, who is in the midst of an MVP season. Following the news of this blockbuster deal, Philly was thrown right back in the conversation of potential contenders this year.
One underlying factor of this trade is it gives the Sixers an extra roster spot. With some holes still needing to be filled, Morey is sure to be aggressive when it comes the buyout market. Based on recent social media activity, one former Sixer might want that open spot to be used for him.
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During the social media outburst following the news of this trade, Sixers fans began tweeting at JJ Redick about coming out of retirement. The former guard was seen âlikingâ a plethora of tweets from fans about him giving it one more run in Philadelphia:
Redick formally retired after last season, where he played 44 games with the Pelicans and Mavericks.
The Sixers might be better off going in a different direction with the roster spot, but this is still something to consider. Redick had some of his best seasons with the Sixers and built a strong relationship with Joel Embiid.
In today's game, you can never have enough shooting. Even as his career went on, Redick maintained his deadeye shooting from beyond the arc. Last season he shot 37.1% from deep on four attempts a game. With Seth Curry going to Brooklyn in the Harden trade, the Sixers could benefit from adding a knockdown shooter.
Acclimating Redick would be fairly easy if he decided to come out of retirement. Not only has he played with two-thirds of the Sixers' Big Three before, but Doc Rivers is also one of his former coaches. Little time would need to be spent adjusting and figuring out how to utilize him best.
The duo of Harden and Embiid is going to garner a lot of attention once they take the floor together. Surrounding them with as much shooting as possible will keep the floor open and force opponents to pick their poison.
At this stage of his career, Redick is not someone who will eat up a ton of rotation minutes. That being said, he can still be used in tiny spurts to swing the momentum of a game with his 3-point shooting.
Morey's job is not over as he continues to put together a roster fit to compete for a championship. If Redick is serious about coming out of retirement, it's something that should be given some thought.
