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LA Lakers Wanted LeBron James and JJ Redick to be Teammates, NBA Insider Reveals
JJ Redick will be coaching LeBron James in the upcoming season but he could have been his teammate a few years ago according to an NBA insider.
The Los Angeles Lakers' offseason has mostly been one of inactivity. The fact that JJ Redick was brought in to take Darvin Ham's place as the team's new head coach during this offseason is undoubtedly telling. LeBron James appears to have faith in Redick, which was a major consideration in his hiring. You may remember that Redick and James used to have a podcast where they discussed the ins and outs of basketball and had a great rapport with each other.
It would appear that Redick and James had known each other for some time, but they were never able to share a locker room. During his 15-year career in the NBA, Redick played for teams that James did not play for, including the Dallas Mavericks, Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, and New Orleans Pelicans.
However, the Lakers considered signing Redick to strengthen the roster in 2020 or 2021, which would have allowed the two to collaborate earlier than they actually did.
“Early in James' L.A. tenure, the Lakers inquired about trading with New Orleans for Redick but nothing developed, sources told ESPN,” Dave McMenamin of ESPN wrote.
It's unclear how "early" the Lakers inquired about a potential trade for Redick during James' time there. In the one-and-a-half seasons that Redick was with the Pelicans, the team's record was below .500, so the Purple and Gold probably considered adding one of the best shooters in league history in 2020 and 2021.
It's possible that the Lakers were considering acquiring Redick in 2020 when he was still a productive Pelicans starter. Redick slipped during 2021, and the Pelicans quickly traded him to the Mavericks in exchange for some spare parts.
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