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J.J. Redick on Houston Rockets, “I wanted to go there.”

By Tevin Williams

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 18: J.J. Redick #4 of the Los Angeles Clippers looks for the rebound against James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets during the game on January 18, 2016 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Andrew Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 18: J.J. Redick #4 of the Los Angeles Clippers looks for the rebound against James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets during the game on January 18, 2016 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Andrew Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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J.J. Redick almost signed with the Houston Rockets instead of the Philadelphia 76ers during free agency.

J.J. Redick was looking for a new home in the offseason, and he almost found it in Houston.

Instead, he signed a one-year, $23 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.

He chose to join forces with a young team on the rise in a weaker Eastern Conference. Can’t blame him, but us Rockets fans can’t help but to ponder about what could have been.

Redick discussed the details of the deal on the Hoops Hype Podcast with Alex Kennedy (via Bryan Kalbrosky).

“They offered four [years] and then they went three. Daryl [Morey] always has a million things going on, like in A Beautiful Mind with all of the stuff written on the chalkboard. I’m sure he had four or five deals out there [he was working on]. The day before free agency, I thought it was a four-year deal. Chris Paul and I talked for about 30 minutes the night before free agency started. I wanted to go there.

“[It didn’t work out] – some of it was numbers and some of it was other factors like relocating the family and – I hate to say this – but you never know with Daryl and how he operates. A three-year deal could really be a six-month deal if you get dealt at the trade deadline for a superstar as part of a package of six.”

As Redick noted, he nearly signed with Houston, but became uneasy about signing a long-term. Daryl Morey originally offered Redick a four-year contract, but slashed it to three, in an effort to keep Houston’s cap flexible.

The Rockets didn’t miss out.

The Rockets have shown that they are in “win-now” mode, and that always involves acquiring star talent. J.J. knew that he could be used in a trade scenario, so he decided to sign with Philadelphia instead.

Although J.J. Redick is a great player, the Rockets didn’t miss much. Houston already has a similar player in Eric Gordon, who like Redick, is a three-point specialist.

Next: Houston Rockets: Rio Grande Valley Vipers Season Preview

Bolstering the defense with Luc Mbah a Moute and P.J. Tucker was a better move than adding another shooter to a team full of marksmen. The Rockets will head into next season with a more complete roster than last year.

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