"I don't think you're going to get honesty from that front office," JJ Redick talks about New Orleans Pelicans trading him to the Dallas Mavericks
A lot of stories were buzzing about New Orleans Pelicans' JJ Redick around the NBA trade deadline.
It was clear that he had no future with the team and was on the market. JJ Redick was quite vocal about moving to a new team himself, preferably in the Northeast where his family lives.
However, the New Orleans front office traded him to the Dallas Mavericks ahead of the NBA trade deadline, along with Nicolo Melli, in exchange for James Johnson, Wesley Iwundu and a second-round draft choice.
NBA News: JJ Redick opens up about his trade to the Dallas Mavericks
JJ Redick was under the impression that he was getting bought out. He hasn't played since March 4th, 2021 and is recovering from a heel injury.
Redick went on his podcast 'The Old Man & the Three' and spoke about how he demanded a trade in November itself before the season started, specifically after the Jrue Holiday trade.
The COVID-19 pandemic meant he couldn't spend enough time with his family, who lived in New York. Given the distance from New Orleans and New York, he was quite certain about a move to the Northeastern division.
He spoke about how David Griffin, the executive VP of basketball operations for the New Orleans Pelicans, promised him that he would trade him to a place of his choice, or better yet, simply buy him out so that he could sign with a team he wanted.
"(Griffin) basically says to me, 'Come down for a month, If you still want to be traded, I give you my word, I'll get you to a situation you like'....(Griffin) and I had a personal relationship. And obviously, he did not honor his word...And again...My understanding from February on...all along was that I was going to get a buyout. If I was going to get traded, it was going to be a team in the northeast, where I was closer to home, and I'd be able to see my family for the last two or three months of the season. Obviously that didn't happen. Geographically speaking, Dallas is further away from New York than New Orleans," says JJ Reddick.
He also spoke about how he had direct conversations with David Griffin and Trajan Langdon, including four subsequent talks with Griffin following this discussion.
It's no surprise that JJ Redick would be upset after the front office of the New Orleans Pelicans backstabbed him. He apparently had a personal relationship with David Griffin, but when the latter didn't stick to his promise, it stung the 36-year-old sharpshooter.
JJ Redick further went on to criticise the New Orleans Pelicans franchise and their front office, saying that nobody should trust them, as they are not honest in their dealings.
JJ Redick said he was 'jarred' by the trade simply because he wanted to be within driving distance of his family so he could see them on his off days.
He reiterated that this was not a shot at the Dallas Mavericks and the fact that Dallas was even further away from NYC was a particularly bitter pill to swallow. He told Mark Cuban, the Dallas Mavericks owner, in this regard:
"In any other year, I'd be thrilled to get traded to Dallas."
JJ Redick summed up by giving a shoutout to members of the organization for giving him a great experience while he was in New Orleans.
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