The NBA trade deadline has officially passed, but there was one deal that snuck in right before the buzzer. The Dallas Mavericks were able to add some shooting to their roster in a deal with the New Orleans Pelicans.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Mavericks are acquiring veteran sharpshooter, JJ Redick, from New Orleans. They will also receive Nicolo Melli in the trade.
Heading back to New Orleans will be James Johnson, Wes Iwundu and a second-round pick.
JJ Redick, while in the worst shooting season of his career, is still knocking down 36.4 percent of his 3-point attempts this season. He was a player many teams were interested in acquiring, such as the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets. Had he not been traded, there were talks that Redick would have been bought out by the Pelicans and undoubtedly had been a popular name on the buyout market as well.
Redick should help add some firepower to a second unit that has Tim Hardaway Jr., Jalen Brunson and little else in the way of scoring punch. His 3-point shooting will also be helpful, as the Mavericks are right in the middle of the pack in 3-point percentage on the season at 36.3 percent. However, they attempt the fifth most and make the eighth-most in the league
Melli gives the Mavericks some insurance in the frontcourt in case of another Kristaps Porzingis injury. He is another strong shooter that the Mavericks will use to help keep their 3-point centric offensive attack humming.
For New Orleans, the second-round pick is about all you could ask for when there were discussions of Redick being bought out. Johnson will bring toughness and veteran leadership to a young roster in need of it. He gives Stan Van Gundy another rotational piece to help fill in upfront along with Jaxson Hayes off the bench.
The Mavericks are surging up the Western Conference standings and the combination of Redick and Melli will help stabilize their second unit. The veteran also brings a ton of playoff experience to the team, as last season was the first time in his career the team he was playing on failed to qualify for the NBA Playoffs.
