J.J. Redick is rumored to be on the move. The shooting guard is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer after several seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers. While he is no longer a young or developing player, his ability to light baskets aflame from three-point range is a valuable commodity for nearly any team in the NBA. Yet the teams that are pursuing him the hardest may rest in the Atlantic Division - and may not be ready to make the postseason next year.
Atlantic Division pursuit
One Atlantic Division team reportedly after Redick resides in Brooklyn.
The Nets are completely retooling their roster, having traded away franchise center Brook Lopez and bringing in point guard D'Angelo Russell before the NBA Draft. It may not seem like the shooting guard would have much interest in playing for such a poor franchise, but he does have a home in Brooklyn, allowing for him to enjoy some creature comforts.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn's Atlantic Division foe - the Philadelphia 76ers - are in a different stage of their rebuilding era. They now have four top-three draft picks on their roster, giving off the sense that they are ready to compete now. They just need some veterans that can help carry them on their way. None of the Sixers' young stars are great shooters, so Redick would solve one of the biggest issues holding Philadelphia back from a possible run to the playoffs next season.
What Redick brings to the table
Redick is clearly headed towards the twilight stages of his career. He turned 33 years old this week and has been in the NBA since 2006. So far, the Duke Blue Devils legend has played for the Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks, and Los Angeles Clippers. Unbelievably, he has never won any accolade at the professional level and only became a full-time starter when he joined the Clippers before the 2013-14 season.
His pedigree can't be questioned, however, because he can shoot the rock. He made 42.9% of his three-point attempts last season, was actually his worst mark in three years. That's still slightly better than his 41.5% career average. Just a year before, he led the NBA with a 47.5% conversion mark from deep. In the modern NBA, having an elite three-point shooter is vital to a team's chances of success on a game-to-game basis. Redick is one of the best to ever do it, so any and every team should be interested in signing him, perhaps for the remainder of his playing career.
