Yahoo Finance JJ Redick was 'shocked' by Mavericks trade, says Pelicans front office was dishonest
The New Orleans Pelicans traded JJ Redick to the Dallas Mavericks before last week's deadline, and Redick is unhappy about how it all went down.
On his podcast "Old Man & the Three," Redick broke down the story of his trade — which actually started back in November — and called out the Pelicans' front office for poor communication and not being honest with him about their plans.
JJ Redick on his podcast:
- He was "shocked" to be traded to the Mavericks
- He requested a trade in November to be closer to his family in Brooklyn during COVID
- He thought the Pelicans would offer a buyout after the trade deadline pic.twitter.com/ElgsesVFHT— Master (@MasterTes) March 31, 2021
Promises not kept
Redick's story starts in November, before the start of the season, when he says that he discussed a possible trade with executive vice president David Griffin and general manager Trajan Langdon. Redick's family lives in Brooklyn, and he was hoping for a trade to the Brooklyn Nets or another northeast team so he could see them more often.
According to Redick, Griffin told him, "Come down for a month. If you still want to be traded, I give you my word I’ll get you to a situation that you like." They apparently had four more conversations after that, and Redick said that Griffin continued to promise him that he would be traded closer to his family.
When Redick wasn't traded at the aggregate deadline, he was under the impression that he would eventually be traded to a team in the northeast or offered a buyout. Which is why he was "shocked" when he found out he had been traded to the Mavericks, which is definitely not closer to Brooklyn.
"Obviously, [Griffin] did not honor his word," Redick said.
No honesty from front office
The experience soured Redick on the Pelicans, and he said that he believes the organization has acted similarly with other players.
"I don't think you're going to get honesty from that front office, objectively speaking," Redick said via Andrew Lopez. "That's not an opinion, I just don't think you're gonna get that. I don't think what happened with me is necessarily an isolated incident. I think front offices around the league operate in their best interest. I get that. I understand that.
"Truthfully ... I think I was a little naive thinking I was in Year 15 and I attempted to do things right throughout my career. But in terms of this front office, yeah, it's not something where I would expect certainly the agents who worked on this with me to ever trust that front office again."
That's not exactly the glowing post-employment review a team wants to hear.
As far as Dallas, Redick said that he's excited to be with the Mavericks now, but that wasn't his initial reaction. With his family still in New York, it's just not what he wanted or expected.
- Says he was "jarred" by the trade; says Mavs weren't one of the teams that had been discussed
- Told Cuban: "In any other year, I'd be thrilled to get traded to Dallas."— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) March 31, 2021
Redick has yet to play a game for the Mavericks because he's recovering from a heel injury. On his podcast, Redick said that he's planning to join the team when they travel to New York on Thursday.
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