August 06, 2017

Why J.J. Redick turned down multi-year deal with a contender and signed with Sixers

By Matt Mullin
PhillyVoice Staff

Just a few days ago, it was a late-night workout in front of coach Brett Brown that convinced J.J. Redick to sign with the Sixers.

But, as it turns out, there are actually a few reasons why J.J. Redick decided to sign a one-year deal with the Sixers, and in the process turn down several offers for longer deals and more guaranteed money.

Redick has been all over since signing that $23 million deal with Philly, and most recently he appeared on The HoopsHype Podcast with Alex Kennedy. The new Sixers shooting guard explained his reasoning behind his decision, including why he turned down the chance at not only playing alongside James Harden and Chris Paul in Houston but potentially contending for an NBA title.

"They offered four [years] and then they went three. Daryl [Morey] always has a million things going on, like in A Beautiful Mind with all of the stuff written on the chalkboard. I'm sure he had four or five deals out there [he was working on]. The day before free agency, I thought it was a four-year deal. Chris Paul and I talked for about 30 minutes the night before free agency started. I wanted to go there.
"[It didn't work out] – some of it was numbers and some of it was other factors like relocating the family and, I hate to say this, but you never know with Daryl and how he operates. A three-year deal could really be a six-month deal if you get dealt at the trade deadline for a superstar as part of a package of six." [hoopshype.com]

Yes, that's the same Daryl Morey under whom former Sixers GM Sam Hinkie spent many years studying.

But that wasn't the only reason the former Clippers sharpshooter opted for the Sixers over Houston – as well as several others, including the Heat, Nets and Timberwolves.

Some of the decision has to do with the guys he'll be playing with – and playing for – in Philly.

In a recent interview with Business Insider, Redick shared a story about his tour of the team's facility and an impromptu 1 a.m. workout with Embiid that really sold him on moving back East to join the Sixers.

"We were actually at the practice facility and we were out on the court and we were just chatting," Redick told Business Insider. "And all of the sudden [76ers head coach] Brett Brown told Joel Embiid to go down in the post.
"I was in, like, a blue blazer," Redick said. "And we started running post actions and then we started running pick-and-roll actions. And it was just fun to be around Coach Brown and see his passion for the game and kind of talk hoops with him." [businessinsider.com]

According to Redick, it was Brown who really sealed the deal.

"Brown was really the biggest factor in me going to Philly," he added.

But there's more. Redick, after initially seeking max money over four years, now seems willing to continue to play for the Sixers on one-year deals. That's a big change from the outlook that led him to turn down three years from Houston.

Why?

Towards the end of the podcast, Redick said he thinks Philadelphia could end up becoming an attractive destination for superstar free agents in 2018 and 2019 due to the team’s cap flexibility and the possibility that they could have one or more stars if Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz and/or Dario Saric reach their full potential.
That’s why he ultimately decided to sign the one-year deal with Philly, saying that the opportunity to play with this young core was “too good” to pass up.
“As these guys get older and get more experience, I think there’s an opportunity to make a leap and really be one of the elite teams not only in the East, but in the NBA. That’s a credit to Sam Hinkie, Bryan Colangelo and to their owners.” [hoopshype.com]

So let me get this right...

Morey's "Beautiful Mind" actually scared Redick away from Houston (especially after it went from four to three years), but the groundwork his former protege, Hinkie, laid in Philly – from the coach he hired to the players he drafted, and even the cap space he created in the process – was one of the biggest reasons the Duke product chose the Sixers?