Milwaukee Bucks: 3 buyout targets to monitor nearing trade deadline
By Dalton Sell
Second potential buyout candidate for the Milwaukee Bucks — J.J. Redick
Floor spacing is among the most crucial attributes in any potential target for the Bucks, making few fits better than J.J. Redick.
Shooting 41.5 percent on five attempts from 3-point territory for his career, Redick is one of the most prolific shooters in league history. However, the 36-year-old guard is currently having the worst shooting season of his career by hitting just 36.4 percent of his shots from behind the arc.
With the New Orleans Pelicans openly expressing a desire to shake things up in their backcourt, teams have not been willing to bite on Redick and his $13 million salary. ESPN’s Tim Bontemps recently reported that league insiders view the guard as a potential buyout target if the Pelicans are unable to find a trade partner, and that should interest Milwaukee in pursuing the former Buck.
Like the aforementioned Ellington, Redick would be a fantastic fit next to Antetokounmpo on the offensive end because of his dynamic 3-point shooting. Adding him to the second unit to shore up the shooting efforts in the second unit would be the icing on the cake.
Milwaukee’s previous interest in the guard has been mostly speculation over the past few years, but they could have a genuine shot to get him in the coming days. The biggest domino that could play a factor in the Bucks landing Redick could be starting point guard Jrue Holiday. As Redick detailed in a previous episode of his The Old Man & The Three podcast, Holiday played a large part in him signing with New Orleans in free agency a few years prior. Transcribed by Jacob Rude of USA Today’s Lonzo Wire:
"“In conversations leading up to free agency, you know, I wanted to play with Jrue Holiday. I reached out to him and had a couple convos with him. That’s an example of, Jrue and I weren’t even friends but prior to that, we’d just played against each other and competed against each other. But I’d heard so many things about him from teammates and friends around the league that had played with him and knew him well. He was a big part of me going down to New Orleans.”"
Perhaps playing with Holiday could be enticing to Redick once more if he does indeed hit the open market in the new few days. Despite his dip in overall production this season, the guard could provide a welcoming boost of shooting for this Milwaukee team in their hunt for an NBA title.