Orlando Magic Should Trade J.J. Redick

According to Ric Bucher of Comcast, that may, in fact be just what the team ultimately does:

More from the Trade Winds: it would surprise no one if JJ Redick were moved before the February trade deadline, but
there’s no urgency on the part of the Magic for several reasons, according to a source. One: after a rough 5-10 start, Orlando has gone 6-3, a burst not coincidentally launched by a soul-satisfying win over former teammate Dwight Howard and the Lakers. If Redick is moved, it will be for a younger talent and/or a draft pick and the Magic wouldn’t mind staying competitive for as long as they can this season.

Truth be told, if you’re the Magic, dealing Redick makes a ton of sense.

No, it’s not as if he is playing terrible basketball. It’s just the opposite, actually. He’s averaging a career-high 14.1 points per game on 44.4 percent shooting from the field and a respectable 35.1 percent clip from beyond the arc. He’s also posting a career-best 15.58 PER at the moment as well.

Simply put, the combo guard is having a stellar season..

So why should the Magic trade him?

Because he’s unlikely to stick around past this season.

Redick is 28 and he’ll be entering his eighth NBA season next year. By that point, the Magic will still be rebuilding and nowhere near legitimate playoff contention. Is Redick going to want to sign a three, four or five year deal with a team that isn’t even near genuine relevancy?

I don’t think so. As such, Orlando would be wise to move him now in favor of some young talent or draft picks. Unless the team is excited at the prospect of watching him walk away for nothing this summer—which they shouldn’t be.

Additionally, trading Redick makes sense from a financial standpoint as well. The Magic already boast the likes of overpaid players such as Jameer Nelson, Al Harrington, Glen Davis and Hedo Turkoglu; do they really want to put another nail in their financial coffin?

I’m not saying Redick wouldn’t be worth some serious cash, because he would be. But when you look at who Orlando already has in tow, offering Redick a contract is merely furthering mediocrity at best. As talented as he is, we already know he’s not a star. And what do the Magic need? A star.

Could they have a future star in Nikola Vucevic, Moe Harkless or Andrew Nicholson? Perhaps, but they honestly don’t know, and in this case, ambiguity in their ally. The more young assets the Magic stockpile, the more likely they are to latch onto a future star or a necessary piece that could land them one via trade.

And Again, Redick isn’t that piece.

Which means dealing him makes sense. A ton of sense, provided the right deal comes along.

All that’s left to wonder is whether or not the Magic will be open-minded enough to know when that right deal does, in fact, come along.