The New Orleans Pelicans agreed to trade JJ Redick to the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, avoiding a possible buyout situation for the veteran shooting guard. Sources told ESPN's Andrew Lopez that the Pelicans sent Redick and forward Nicolo Melli to Dallas for forwards James Johnson and Wes Iwundu as well as a 2021 second-round pick.
How much help can Redick provide Dallas, and how did New Orleans do in this deal?
Kevin Pelton hands out trade grades for both teams.
The deal
Mavericks get: JJ Redick, Nicolo Melli
Pelicans get: James Johnson, Wes Iwundu, 2021 second-round pick
Get more trade grades from Pelton here
Dallas Mavericks: B
Last offseason, the Philadelphia 76ers acquired Seth Curry from the Mavericks for Josh Richardson in part because they wanted to fill the shooting void left by losing JJ Redick in free agency in 2019. Now Dallas has traded for Redick in part to fill the shooting void left by losing Curry. Sadly, the cycle will presumably not continue with the Pelicans trading for Curry next year.
The good news is the Mavericks still have Richardson, allowing them to mix and match the two wings along with Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dorian Finney-Smith depending on matchups. Shooting was a need for Dallas, which has slipped to league average in terms of 3-point percentage after finishing 10th in 2019-20.
Despite his much ballyhooed slow start to the season, Redick should help. After making six 3s in the Pelicans' season opener, Redick went 3-of-26 (11.5%) over the next seven games, and his 3-point percentage was still below 30% when he was temporarily removed from the rotation in late January. Since then, however, Redick has made 46% of his 3s in February and March. There's no particular reason to expect him to be anything other than one of the league's best shooters, health permitting.
About that: Redick hasn't played since March 3, missing New Orleans' last game before the All-Star break and then undergoing a nonsurgical procedure to relieve inflammation in his right heel. Presumably, information on Redick's status was a key part of trade negotiations.
Ultimately, the Mavericks didn't give up much here. Iwundu and Johnson, who saw regular minutes early in the season, have fallen from the rotation of late as Dallas has climbed out of an early hole to seventh in the West standings. The goal for the Mavericks will be to pass one more team to avoid having to participate in the play-in tournament. They're currently 1.5 games back of the Portland Trail Blazers for sixth, two back of the Denver Nuggets for fifth and four back of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Barring a loss in the play-in tournament, Dallas' second-round pick should land in the late 40s or early 50s. Projections based on ESPN's Basketball Power Index peg it 51st on average, meaning the Mavericks are unlikely to miss the pick much.
New Orleans Pelicans: B-
In hindsight, it looks like last offseason was probably the right time to move Redick. The combination of his shooting slump and the injury probably helped erode a trade market that may have been more robust when Redick was coming off a strong campaign.
By now, it was worth the Pelicans taking whatever they could get in return. They haven't necessarily missed Redick, going 4-4 in his absence with young guards Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kira Lewis Jr. picking up the extra minutes.
To avoid going into the luxury tax by taking back Johnson's contract, New Orleans also sent Melli with Redick to Dallas. After playing frequently as a 29-year-old rookie next to Zion Williamson, Melli had seen just 241 minutes of action this season. The Pelicans are still close enough to the tax line that they'll probably have to manage their 14th roster spot by leaving it open between 10-day contracts in order to duck the tax.