After a successful two-year stint in Philadelphia with the 76ers, marksman JJ Redick bolted for the New Orleans Pelicans, pointing to guard Jrue Holiday as a big reason why he chose to join the rebuilding team.
“We just chatted on the phone,” Redick told Bill Simmons of The Ringer in The JJ Redick podcast. “I just told (Jrue) on the phone, man, you're one of my favorite players in the NBA and I truly mean that. He's someone that I've just respected and admired as a person and as a player for a long time. As much as it was the young guys and the opportunity to play that mentoring role and all that, a big part of this was getting that opportunity to play with Jrue. I think that was a huge piece of it.”
Redick had his best two scoring seasons late in his career with the Sixers, becoming the top perimeter option by playing with a non-shooting point guard in Ben Simmons. He put up a career-best 17.1 points per game in 2017-18 only to best his mark yet again in 2018-19 with 18.1 per game.
The sharpshooter signed a two-year, $26.5 million deal with New Orleans after inking two separate balloon deals in Philly, who just couldn't commit to a long-term contract after signing the likes of Tobias Harris (five years, $190 million), Al Horford (four years, $109 million) and recently extending Simmons for five years and $170 million.
“I thought for sure I would retire in Philly. I thought that,” Redick said. “That was even a conversation I had with Josh Harris. Sometimes the economics of things don’t work out.”
Redick will have an outstanding opportunity to get a prominent role next to Holiday on the backcourt while mentoring some of the most exciting young talents in Zion Williamson and Jaxson Hayes, among others.
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