J.J. Redick glad to play for coach he admires, Brett Brown

LAS VEGAS - Brett Brown is the main reason J.J. Redick is a 76er.

As a shooting guard with Los Angeles Clippers, Redick admired Brown's disposition, the way he coached the Sixers and embraced "The Process."

"The spirit of the Sixers has never been broken," Redick said. "That speaks volumes to Coach Brown. . . . He is someone I have watched and I've wanted to play for.

"I'm thrilled to be playing for him next year. For me personally, that was the biggest thing."

Redick, 33, and former Boston Celtics power forward Amir Johnson signed one-year free-agent deals with the Sixers on Saturday.

Redick said the Sixers were the team he wanted to play for during the eight weeks since the Clippers concluded the season until free agency began. He initiated his meeting with the Sixers at their training complex. The Sixers were also considering a reunion with another sharpshooting free agent in Kyle Korver. However, they chose not to meet with him based on Redick's interest in the team and a scheduling conflict.

Philadelphia "was the place I wanted to be," Redick said. "I thought it was the best fit. When the trade [with the Boston Celtics for the first overall draft pick] happened around the draft, it just really solidified my feeling about where I wanted to be."

An opportunity to play with standout center Joel Embiid was another reason Redick wanted to play for the Sixers.

Brown compared Embiid to former San Antonio Spur Tim Duncan while talking with Redick the other night. That's high praise considering that Duncan is a future Hall of Famer who won five NBA titles.

"The thing that maybe people don't talk about as much is when Joel was on the court last year, the Sixers would have had the best defensive rating in the league," Redick said. "To win in this league, you have to be great on defense. I think with Joel as the back line of the defense, we can do that."

Redick said he has been impressed with Philadelphia for some time. While roaming Philly six years ago, he said on Twitter that Philadelphia was one of his favorite cities and that it was an underrated city.

"As a U.S. history major, there's something very cool about in cities," he said, "and walking the streets of Philadelphia or Boston or New York and seeing historical sites. I've always had a great appreciation for the city."

The Sixers signed Redick and Johnson to one-year deals for roster flexibility reasons. But . . .

"I do want to say that that's not to think that this is a one-and-done situation for either one of these gentlemen sitting next to me," said Bryan Colangelo, the team's president of basketball operations.

Colangelo added the Sixers are looking at both players as key additions the team's growth.