Getty JJ Redick of the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Los Angeles Lakers have the No. 28 pick in this year’s NBA Draft, but could end up dealing the selection for an established player that would aid their win-now mentality.
Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz proposed some options for the Lakers with the pick — including using it — but came up with three targets for the team to look at via trade, with the first-round selection as the centerpiece.
The targets included Detroit guard Derrick Rose, Pacers big man Myles Turner and veteran Pelicans sharpshooter JJ Redick, who might be the most interesting, and logical, name listed.
JJ Redick Would Give Lakers Much-Needed Shooting
GettyJJ Redick
Redick is one of the best shooters in the league and can still get buckets at 36 years old. He started 36 games last year for the Pelicans, recording 15.3 points per game on 45 percent shooting from beyond the arc. He’d be an ideal target to play in the Lakers system, giving the team a reliable shooter who can hit open shots when defenses focus on stopping LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was the Lakers’ most consistent 3-point shooter last season, hitting at 38.5 percent. However, he might not be back next season as he’s expected to opt-out of the final year of his deal.
Redick would also bring a key leader into the locker room for the Lakers as they eye a title repeat. The former Duke standout has 110 playoff games on his resume, missing the playoffs for the first time in his career this past season. And playing for the Lakers would give Redick a legitimate shot at his first ring, with the young Pelicans more than a few years away from being a contender.
New Pelicans Coach Stan Van Gundy, JJ Redick Have History
GettyHead coach Stan Van Gundy of the Orlando Magic talks with J.J. Redick.
The Pelicans fired Alvin Gentry and brought in Stan Van Gundy as their next head coach this offseason. Redick spent the first six seasons of his NBA career playing under Van Gundy in Orlando and had high praise for his former skipper.
“There is no perfect coach. I think Stan probably had a bigger impact on my career than any coach I’ve played for,” Redick said on the All The Smoke podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. “Doc as well because Doc was the first coach who looked at me as a starter and gave me more of a role on offense. But Stan (is) probably the best coach I’ve played for in the NBA.
“I always felt like, in a playoff series, I felt like Stan was going to get us a win. He was going to make an adjustment or come up with a game plan in game three or game four or even steal one in game one like ‘I’m going to do this and they’re not expecting it’ and it worked a lot of the time. He would always get us a game because he was so prepared and he worked so hard and took such responsibility on what he could control and he was great for that.”
The Lakers don’t have a ton of time to make up their minds with an accelerated offseason schedule. The NBA Draft is set for Nov. 18.
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