Where Does Redick Fit With Mavs After Trade?
The Dallas Mavericks made a major move to improve their perimeter offense at Thursday's NBA Trade Deadline, acquiring the sharpshooting J.J. Redick (and forward Nicolo Melli) from the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for James Johnson, Wes Iwundu, and a second-round pick.
The deal not only gives the Mavs a desperately-needed three-point sniper in Redick but also preserves their cap space heading into the offseason, with both Redick ($13.01 million) and Melli ($3.9 million) both set to become free agents at the end of the season.
Also worth noting, big-picture: Dallas last year lost shooting prowess by swapping Seth Curry to Philly, while gaining defensive power in Josh Richardson, with Johnson also acquired. Now Johnson goes out, and Reddick comes in, essentially replacing Curry.
So the net is, among rotation bodies, Dallas has this season added Richardson and Redick while losing Curry. A large net plus.
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So where will Redick fit into the Mavs rotation?
It seems logical that Dallas would not acquire Redick without the thought of him playing a major role in the team's rotation going forward.
Where it becomes interesting is whether or not he will shift into the starting lineup, sending someone like Dorian Finney-Smith to the bench, become a seventh-man of sorts alongside Tim Hardaway Jr, or allow Hardaway to move back into the starting five.
Certainly, at the very least, Dallas can play "two-platoon'' with Redick entering as an offensive weapon. ... while not pretending he's a strength on the other end.
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Either way, Redick's shooting ability is sorely needed, with the Mavs currently sitting at 15th in the NBA in overall three-point percentage at 36.3-percent, despite shooting the fifth-most threes in the per game in the league at 37.9 per game.
Redick, who is less than 100 days shy of turning 37, is still one of the league's premier sharpshooters shooting 41.5-percent for his career from three.
In 2020, his shooting got off to a slower start, but over the last 15 games, that issue has resolved, with the 14-year pro shooting 46.4-percent from beyond the arc over that time, and moving his percentage to 36.4-percent for the year.
Redick typically uses his ability to move without the ball to find open looks. With the ability of Luka Doncic to create for others well known, Redick's job on a nightly basis should get a lot easier as a result.
And if things are going to get easier for an already immensely talented shooter, there is no reason to expect both Redick, and the Mavs will reap the benefits.
Redick art for DallasBasketball.com by Tyler Upchurch
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