Los Angeles Lakers: Why JJ Redick no longer makes sense for LA

The Los Angeles Lakers have brought in various veteran players on minimum contracts this offseason. In fact, despite the age of the team, Rob Pelinka actually did a wonderful job of putting together a deep roster of legitimate rotation players. Not every team can say they have 13 guys that can all actually play a role in the rotation.

As deep as the team is, the Los Angeles Lakers still have another roster spot that can be utilized. The team traded away Marc Gasol to move from 14 players on the roster to 13. And while they saved money in the trade, they likely are going to fill that roster spot for the season.

The 15th and final roster spot will be reserved for a potential in-season move, such as a buyout signing.

One current free agent who made a lot of sense earlier in the offseason is JJ Redick. Redick still has not signed with a team and is likely not going to sign until the season starts. While he reportedly prefers the two New York teams, you cannot rule out him going to the Lakers.

Except… maybe we can. Whiel Redick made sense for the Lakers earlier in the offseason, as the roster currently stands, he no longer makes sense for the team.

Why the Los Angeles Lakers ultimately won’t sign JJ Redick:

The biggest thing here is the needs the Lakers had earlier in the offseason vs. the needs the team has now. The needs are much smaller now than they were six weeks ago because the team filled out the roster with solid role player.

The narrative six weeks ago was that the Lakers needed to add three-point shooting around their big three and they did just that. The team has four really good shooters on the roster in Carmelo Anthony, Wayne Ellington, Kendrick Nunn and Malik Monk.

While it is not a guarantee, it would not be surprising if all four players shot over 40% from beyond the arc next season. They checked that box.

The need for shooting is not as dire as it once was and while Redick is arguably the best veteran three-point shooter in the league (he is the new Kyle Korver), the impact his shooting would have does not override the negative impact that his bad defending would have.

Plus, the Lakers are extremely deep in the backcourt and the last thing they need right now is an undersized guard who is rather one-dimensional at this point in his career. At point guard the team has Russell Westbrook, Nunn and Rajon Rondo. At two-guard the team has Ellington, Monk and Kent Bazemore.

Talen Horton-Tucker is a combo-guard as well and even though Bazemore will likely play some three, the Lakers have seven players to play two guard positions. They do not need an eighth, at all.

So while the three-point percentage might be appealing and was appealing earlier in the offseason, with the moves the Lakers have made JJ Redick simply does not make sense any longer.