Sixers smart to add J.J. Redick and Amir Johnson | John Smallwood
The pair, who only agreed to one-year deals, should provide veteran leadership to a young Sixers team.
OF COURSE, Sixers president/general Manager Bryan Colangelo could have had a better start to free agency.
For a fleeting moment before the first minute of Saturday had expired, there was an unlikely, miniscule, pretty much impossible chance that Stephen Curry would not negotiate the richest contract in NBA history with the Golden State Warriors and instead bring his talents to South Philadelphia .
In the real NBA world that the Sixers operate in, Colangelo, considering where his program is and where he wants to move it to, had things go as well as planned.
Not only did Colangelo convince shooting guard J.J. Redick and power forward Amir Johnson to come to the Sixers as veteran free agents, he'll get them on one-year deals.
Redick, who has consistently been one of the top shooters in the league for the last four seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, reportedly agreed to deal for $23 million.
Johnson, a top-flight defensive forward with the Boston Celtics, will come on for $11 million when teams can officially sign free agents on Thursday.
To comprehend how remarkable it is to get any player with half of an amount of usefulness to agree to a one-year free-agent deal in this market, compare Redick's statistics to those of guard Tony Snell who agreed to a 4-year deal that could easily pay $46 million to stay with the Milwaukee Bucks and San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills who got 4 years for $50 million.
Yes, Redick will make nearly twice as much this season as Mills and Snell, but the danger in NBA contracts is not the per-year payoff, but getting locked into big money for several years.
Besides if you factor in the $9 million the Sixers saved by cutting veteran shooting guard Gerald Henderson, Redick's deal only adds an extra $14 million for 2017-18.
The Sixers have a roster of NBA novices almost all of whom require the most basic lessons in the how and whys of being successful in the NBA.
When Colangelo took over the Sixers for the 2016-17 season, one of his first acknowledgments was the need for some veteran leadership.
Unfortunately, while Jerryd Bayless, Henderson and Sergio Rodriguez had veteran savvy, their games didn't have much impact.
Veterans who don't, or can't, really perform are hampered in their ability to mentor young players, many who think they already have most things figured out.
The Sixers have too much at stake in the proper development of combo guard Markelle Fultz, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft; multiposition player Ben Simmons, the No. 1 overall pick in 2016; and sky-high-ceiling center Joel Embiid, the No. 3 overall pick in 2014.
Because of injuries, however, Embiid and Simmons have a combined 31 games of NBA experience. Forward Dario Saric had an impressive rookie season but he was still just a rookie.
Before Redick and Johnson agreed to terms, the Sixers had just two players - Bayless and Robert Covington with more than three years of experience.
Obviously, helping to teach youngsters how to conduct themselves as professionals is a benefit of having veterans, but most fans are more interested in what a particular player can do to improve a team - especially one with as much raw upside of the Sixers.
Why is it worth bringing in a 33-year-old Redick who likely isn't going to be here when the Sixers are ready to challenge for titles when young players like shooting guards Nik Stauskas, Justin Anderson and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot could be?
That's simple. No disrespect intended to Sauce or TLC, but it isn't about them.
Whatever hope the Sixers have is primarily invested in Embiid, Simmons, Fultz and Saric. If they don't develop into great players, the franchise goes back to ground zero.
If Redick, with his ability to knock down jumpers and find openings off cuts and screens, can provide spacing for Embiid and Saric to learn how to better operate and have impact in the front court; give Simmons a reliable option for his passing skills and simply help Fultz get the gamesmanship to go with his talent, it will be worth it.
An auxiliary benefit is that Redick's presence will also push those young guards to step up their games if they want to earn more minutes.
This is especially true for Stauskas, the No. 8 pick in 2014, who is due a $5.13 million qualifying offer for 2018-19. Stauskas improved last season, especially toward the end, but has yet to prove he will be worth keeping moving forward. In fact, Stauskas would do well to seek counsel from Redick about how to fight through early struggles and find a place in the NBA.
That's the beauty of the one-year deal.
If Redick and Johnson do what is hoped of them, the Sixers development gets a big boost forward. The team will also have an advantage in negotiating to keep them after the season if it wants to.
Even if Redick and Johnson are complete washouts, Colangelo takes a hit to his pride, but the Sixers will only be out of money that they had to spend to reach the salary-cap floor.
For the Sixers, the opening of free agency turned into one of those high-reward but no-risk situations that rarely come along in the NBA.
And hey, Finals MVP Kevin Durant has not yet resigned with Golden State, and the Sixers still have a ton of salary-cap space.
@SmallTerp