The New Orleans Pelicans are one of the teams that could change the NBA Playoff landscape depending on if they want to be sellers. If they want to do a retooling and fully commit to building around Zion Williamson, they could add some pieces before the 2021 NBA Trade Deadline. One name that they could trade is JJ Redick, who is currently receiving interest from the Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets.
The Pelicans could also shop point guard Lonzo Ball. Ball is having a breakout season offensively, putting up career-high scoring and shooting numbers. He looks to have finally gotten his shooting stroke down after revamping his form.
However, Ball and the Pelicans did not agree to an extension before the season. He will be a restricted free agent after the season and if the team doesn’t see him as a long-term fit, they could see what he would fetch on the trade market. Another player to keep an eye on is Redick.
The veteran sharpshooter is in the midst of the second-worst three-point shooting season of his career, but he has been coming on lately. He made 46.8 percent of his attempts from long distance in February and knocked down three of four attempts in his first game in March.
His kind of shooting prowess is something plenty of teams around the league would be interested in acquiring for their roster. The New York Knicks have been mentioned as a landing spot, as they are looking to break their seven-year playoff drought. They are not the only team that is looking to land the former Duke product.
According to The Mismatch, a podcast on The Ringer, at least two more teams are eyeing Redick. Those two teams are the Mavericks and Nuggets.
In the uber-competitive Western Conference, everyone is looking for an edge that can push them closer to the Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers, and Los Angeles Lakers. The Phoenix Suns could also be included on that list.
For Dallas, the acquisition of JJ Redick would give them another sharpshooter, along with Tim Hardaway Jr., on the wing. Redick would not help the Mavericks’ already porous defense, however.
In Denver, every player that makes at least one three-pointer per game is shooting at least 37 percent from the three-point line except Gary Harris. That is why the Nuggets have an interest in Redick, as Denver could use better spacing from their off-ball guard position.
Redick is a player who will assuredly hear his name in the rumor mill in the coming weeks. At this point, it seems likely he will be traded by the Pelicans. Which team will land his services, however, is tougher to pinpoint.
