Los Angeles Clippers Should Strongly Consider Trading J.J. Redick
Kyle Terada – USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Clippers have a lot of hope heading into the season. They have a talented team, a great coach and new ownership. The past couple of years, they have made the playoffs, but were unable to advance to the Finals. After several offseason acquisitions, they are looking like a strong contender to make it out of the Western Conference. However, the team should take advantage of their young talent at shooting guard and consider trading J.J. Redick to help free up future cap space.
When Redick was healthy, he provided a great option at shooting guard for the Clippers. Coach Doc Rivers loves to have smart players who can spread the court on offense, and come off screens ready to shoot. He is an excellent shooter who meshes well with the starting players on the team.
However, Redick struggles against bigger guards, which is a huge problem for the team in the playoffs. He often doesn’t see as much time down the stretch, as the team likes to play Jamal Crawford, who can help close out games. They also choose to play Matt Barnes to provide stout defense against the better perimeter scorers in the league. This means Redick is often the odd man out.
Redick also had trouble staying on the court last season, as he played in less than half of the regular season games. This becomes a problem as he is still on the books for three more years with an average cap hit of about $7 million. The team has a big decision to make with DeAndre Jordan becoming a free agent this offseason, and money already committed to Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. If Jordan has another big year, then they will likely have to free up cap space in order to avoid the luxury tax if they want to keep him.
Redick has been a good fit with the team, but the Clippers may be better off giving his minutes to the younger guards. They need more playing time to get better and prove themselves on the court, which won’t happen if Redick is taking up starting minutes. More importantly, Redick’s contract may just be too much for the Clippers in the long run. It will be a tough decision, but the organization should consider trading him as the season progresses.
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