According to multiple reports, the Philadelphia 76ers signed J.J. Redick to a lucrative one-year, $23 million contract for next season. Could the team look to re-sign him to a similar deal next offseason?
After years of sitting out free agency, the Philadelphia 76ers have finally nabbed one of the most sought-after free agents on the market in sharpshooter J.J. Redick.
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The deal is exactly what general manager Bryan Colangelo and the team had been looking to sign a veteran player to, and no player seemingly fits what the team needs more than Redick.
The Sixers have desperately needed shooting and a strong veteran presence in the locker room. Redick checks off both of those boxes and should have an opportunity to get even more open looks with initiators like Joel Embiid, Markelle Fultz and Ben Simmons.
Now, the Brett Brown is expected to roll out a starting lineup of Fultz-Redick-Robert Covington-Simmons-Embiid on opening night, and many people realize the potential damage that lineup could do.
That starting lineup along with likely sixth-man Dario Saric and young players like Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, T.J. McConnell and Richaun Holmes coming off the bench could be a force in the now wide open eastern conference behind the Cavaliers.
Fultz and Simmons will have their struggles as most rookies do, but the Sixers could conceivably compete for the fifth or sixth seed in the east, especially with a veteran with playoff experience like Redick.
Despite Colangelo signing Redick to a one-year deal and wanting to keep the team’s options open for the summer of 2018, what happens if the team has a successful season and wins a playoff series, reaching the second round?
The Sixers could look to sign a younger guard like Avery Bradley to a longer deal, but that could hurt the team’s ability to keep all of its young players when their rookie deals are up.
Related Story: How J.J. Redick fits the Sixers' roster
However, if the team does have a successful season, Colangelo should look to keep the team intact for some continuity within the organization, something that we haven’t seen since before Sam Hinkie took over.
A lot of the team’s success depends on how well Redick upgrades the team’s shooting and offense as a whole, so it seems unlikely that the team would be successful despite him not providing much of an upgrade.
If Redick is able to get more open looks and take eight or nine 3-point attempts per game and still knock them down at a high level, there is no reason for Colangelo not to consider bringing him back on a similar one-year deal.
Bringing back Redick for a second season would be great for the younger players on the team and the team’s chemistry on the court.
Next: Breaking down the Sixers' depth chart on the wing
The Sixers are hoping Redick is the piece missing from the starting lineup that puts them over the edge into being a playoff team. And if the season goes as expected, bringing back Redick would be a positive message to the fans in wanting to have some continuity amongst the starting lineup.