The New Orleans Pelicans got back to their losing ways against Houston as J.J. Redick looked on from the bench for the second game in a row.
He is not listed on the injury report, so these last two games have just been DNP-CD (did not play, coaches decision) and it looks as though Redick may have finally bricked his way out of the rotation.
Redick has not played well this season, shooting less than 30 percent from long-range, the worst of his career.
But J.J. Redick also has the reputation as one of the greatest shooters of all time, so some team would definitely take a chance on his shooting coming back to form.
With that in mind, J.J. Redick may have played his final game for the New Orleans Pelicans.
New Orleans Pelicans: Can the Pels trade J.J. Redick?
There are three reasons that Redick might be done with the team.
The first is that he has already been involved in trade rumors. These really date back to last season, as Redick is in the final year of his deal and was the most likely trade candidate coming into the season.
He has the right combination of skill and contract to move to a contender.
Taking two DNP’s in a a row is also not a good sign. This is a guy who was 100 percent part of the rotation coming into the season and was being counted on to carry the bench scoring.
He has not done that, but it is still shocking to see Redick sit entire games when none of his replacements are playing well either. Either Stan Van Gundy really thinks Redick is done or he’s been ordered to keep him healthy for a trade.
The final reason is rookie Kira Lewis Jr. I am sorry, but the 19-year-old should be playing over Redick and probably Nickeil Alexander-Walker as well.
Lewis Jr. came in and scored 10 points in 10 minutes last night and this is a team desperate for bench scoring. SVG said after last night’s game that he wants to get Kira more run, so Redick may be finished as a Pelican.
J.J. Redick has been good for the New Orleans Pelicans but his time with the team is rapidly coming to an end.