NBA Free Agency 2019: 5 underrated early signings

2. J.J. Redick, New Orleans Pelicans

Terms: Two years, $26.5 million (per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN)

Despite losing Anthony Davis as the All-NBA big man was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, the New Orleans Pelicans have done a fantastic job of starting to rebuild their roster quickly under new general manager David Griffin. Not only did their haul from Lakers include the likes of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart, but they also traded for Derrick Favors and landed Zion Williamson with the No. 1 overall pick.

Looking at that core, however, two things stand out. First, the Pelicans are an exceptionally young team, with the exception really of Favors and Jrue Holiday. Secondly, they were clearly lacking high-end outside shooting as a team, at least with any kind of consistency. Signing J.J. Redick will certainly help in both of those regards after they landed him on a two-year deal.

With the 76ers last season, Redick continued to be a deadeye shooter from long range as he converted on 39.7 percent of his 3-point attempts. Impressively, that mark was actually notably below his career average of 41.3 percent from deep. Adding that type of shooting to the Pelicans rotation will be invaluable in taking pressure off of their new core.

On top of that, Redick is a consummate professional in the NBA and a player who surely understands his value in the locker room as a veteran on a young team. As such, the tutelage of the 35-year old guard should aid the development of players like Ball, Ingram and Williamson in New Orleans.