Sixers to sign J.J. Redick and Amir Johnson
Redick has agreed to a one-year, $23 million deal, and Johnson will sign for one year at $11 million.
J.J. Redick and Amir Johnson are about to become 76ers.
Redick, a shooting guard, announced his news by tweeting "Trust the process" at 4:07 p.m. Moments later, ESPN reported that Redick has agreed to a one-year, $23 million deal. A league source later confirmed the Sixers will sign Redick once the moratorium period ends.
Two hours later, Johnson's agent confirmed to ESPN, and another source confirmed to the Inquirer, that Johnson, a power forward, had agreed to a one-year, $11 million contact.
Both players are expected to sign their deals on Thursday when the free-agent signing moratorium ends. Free agency began at 12 a.m. on Saturday, but players cannot sign contracts and teams may not comment until noon on Thursday.
"This is where I want I wanted to be," Redick told ESPN about the Sixers.
Apparently, this is also where Sixers center Joel Embiid wanted him.
The center tweeted "Trust The Process … Guys it's happening #TrustBC," referring to Sixers president Bryan Colangelo. Embiid also tweeted of photo that someone took of him and Redick. He typed "MORE ASSISTS #TheProcess" on top of the photo.
The Sixers desperately needed a spot-up shooter, and Redick has become one of the best in the NBA. He has averaged 15.8 points and 44.0 percent shooting on three-pointers for the Los Angeles Clippers over the past four seasons.
Redick also exhausts opponents with constant motion on offense. That's something the Sixers will use to create space for Embiid on the block and allow Markelle Fultz to get more open looks. And Redick is a dream teammate for a pass-first player such as Ben Simmons.
The 33-year-old will also provide much-needed veteran leadership as an 11-year veteran. Jerryd Bayless (nine-year veteran) and Robert Covington (four years) are the only players on the Sixers roster with more than three years of experience.
This is a big pump in pay from the combined $27.7 million he made during his stint with the Clippers.
There was a thought that Redick would want more than a one-year deal. As a result, the Brooklyn Nets were considered as a possible destination if he decided to choose money over winning a championship. However, he reportedly turned down longer deals from the Nets and the Minnesota Timberwolves to go to Philadelphia.
The 6-foot-9 Johnson, who turned 30 in May, is considered among the top defensive power forwards in the NBA. He just completed a two-year, $24 million deal with the Boston Celtics.
Johnson will be entering his 13th NBA season. He went directly from high school to the NBA and was a second-round pick in 2005 by the Detroit Pistons.
He played four years with the Pistons, six with the Toronto Raptors and the last two with Boston.
Last season, he appeared in 80 games, making 77 starts. In 20.1 minutes per game, he averaged 6.5 points and 4.8 rebounds. He also shot a career-best 40.9 percent from three-point range but attempted just 66 from beyond the arc (making 27).
He has appeared in the postseason in six seasons, including each of the last four. The Sixers will look for him to provide veteran leadership.
The Sixers still have a lot of money to spend in free agency. At this point, they have $72 million tied up in contracts for the 2017-18 season before calculating the salaries of first-overall pick Markelle Fultz and 2016 draft pick Furkan Korkmaz and the non-guaranteed deals for T.J. McConnell and Richaun Holmes.
The league announced Saturday morning that the salary cap has been set for $99 million with the luxury tax level at $119.2 million. The Sixers must spend $89.1 million in salaries to reach the salary cap floor.
Staff writer Marc Narducci contributed to this article.
Follow and contact 76ers beat writer Keith Pompey on Twitter and on Instagram at PompeyOnSixers.